A Thousand Years of Rain
by Se acerca el invierno
Summary: She had enough trying to live peacefully in a merciless world. He died fighting for victory in the most atrocious war of minds. But, somehow, their paths crossed in a very unexpected way. "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -Slight AU, eventual LxOC
1. Prologue

**Title:**

A Thousand Years of Rain

**Author:**

Se acerca el invierno

**Genre:**

Drama, Hurt / Comfort, also bits of Sci-Fi, Family, Friendship. Later some Romance too... Much later...

**Timeframe:**

NOTE: Slight AU —some minor changes and details different from canon, but nothing too drastic—. Manga timeline, events based on the anime

**Summary:**

Heroes have always been considered as _"perfect"_ people, someone whose flaws aren't considered as flaws too. Surely a distrustful, lonely young woman doesn't fit in that label. All the same… Have you ever woken up with the feeling that the day coming is just like the previous one? Do you ever feel like the world needs a change? Have you ever considered, bravely or stupidly, that you could make a difference in said world? If so, have you ever actually tried to do something about it? And in the process of trying to save innocent people, including your own father and your childhood hero...

Have you ever thought that you had failed?

If your last answer is affirmative, well then, welcome to my life. After all, not all endings are happily ever after. However, I was determined to change that. Little did I know about what I was gotten myself into...

**Rating:**

M — Just to be sure. Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 14-16

**Warnings:**

This fanfiction will contain spoilers of the whole Death Note plot.

This fanfiction's main character is an OC —original character—, so if you don't like romance between a canon character and an original one, then this is definitely not your story.

This fanfiction will practically have no censorship. Death Note is no fairytale, nor is this fic. You will find some bad language and swearing every now and again, as well as mentions and occasional descriptions of taboo subjects such as rape, sects, sex, murder and violence, among others. Not in every single paragraph, but a good amount of them in total.

**Author's notes:**

Welcome everyone to my story! Before starting with the reading, I'd like to let you know a few things first.

English is not my first language, so consequently I'm looking for a beta but still haven't found it. If anyone is interested, please, don't hesitate to send me a PM. So I apologize first hand for any grammar or spelling mistake, etc, you'll probably find. Also, I'll try my hardest to keep my OC from being a Mary Sue; if you think something is wrong also don't doubt to tell me and I'll try to fix any mistake. If you want to say something about the story, or anything else, please, be respectful with everyone.

The disclaimer will be posted after the first chapter. All opinions are very welcomed, especially constructive criticism so,** please**, try to click the "_Review_" button down there before leaving :) Without further delay, I'll leave you with the story. Here it goes!

* * *

_**PROLOGUE**_

_Life_: the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

_Death_: the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism.

_Time_: the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

_Soul_: the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.

_Hate_: to feel / the feeling of - an intense or passionate dislike, extreme hostility to (someone).

_Love_: to feel / the feeling of - an intense, deep affection; a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone).

Six words, twenty-five letters total. From about a million twenty-five thousand words existing in the English language, curiously those are the most transcendent and significant to me. Those are the words which forced me to question myself about everything I knew. The wind blew. I could hear the leaves moving violently on the trees' branches, bumping into each other. Some fell, but the others remained.

The stormy weather and the clouds stained the usually blue sky with different shades of grey. Never completely white, never completely black. Darker or lighter, but none completely. Ironically, even the granite stones seemed clearer to me.

How long had it actually been? Weeks, yet it felt as if it were decades. _"Decades…" _I chuckled, _"Close enough…"_ I thought while reading for the fifth time the name carved in the stone. The wind blew.

Taking a deep breath, I finally averted my eyes from the gravestone. I turned around, starting to walk down the path that led to the street, outside of the graveyard. The cawing of a bird rang loudly, making me glance up. A raven awaited me on top of the iron gates. I sighed _"Let the dead rest and the living live..."_


	2. Distrust

_**I. Distrust**_

Do I remember the beginning of all this mess? Of course I do. It all started a 29th of May, 2018. The club was filled with the smell of alcohol, sweat and smoke. Laser lights came and went in different florescent colours as people moved on the dance floor, trying frantically to keep up with the DJ's beat as the bartenders mixed up the customer's drinks.

And there I was, enjoying the night and dancing as if there was no tomorrow. That was probably one of the few times I didn't stop to think about the dangers that the street meant for anyone, especially at 3.17 in the morning. The dubstep came to an end, and my friends and I went back to the sofas to sit down and give our feet a lull.

"Gosh, my feet are aching! Care to remind me, why did we put these on?" Ivye asked none in particular as she held up her stilettos. I just laughed and drank the rest of my glass. The burning sensation of the shot in my throat wasn't a bother anymore.

I had to thank them for bringing me to the nightclub; I was actually enjoying myself. But first, allow me to make the introductions. Sitting right beside me and massaging her feet was Ivye, one of the best friends and probably the most charismatic person I've ever met in my whole twenty-three years of existence. Her long blonde hair and her lively, outgoing personality almost always managed to cheer me up. On my other side was Zoe, a shy, cute girl with a huge fringe hiding her big blue eyes. I met her a month ago, and I must admit I hadn't developed a great liking for her yet. But she was a good listener and pretty faithful, I had to give her that.

Across from us were the guys of our little group, Harvey and Paul. They were twins, but complete opposites. Harvey was a jester when he wanted to be, and a complete womanizer. He was capable of empathizing easily with anybody, even with the women he had a one night stand. Seriously, some of them were still sort of friends with him. How did he do that, I'll never know. If I were in those girls' shoes I would only want to meet with him again to slap him right across the face. But ignoring his nympho side, Harvey was a very good friend. With that occasional overprotective personality, he felt like a long-lost big brother.

At last, Paul. As I said before, Paul was Harvey's opposite. He was quite the romantic type, quiet and calm, who was always disposed to have a laugh but never the one making the joke, definitely good boyfriend material, unlike his twin. Not my type, though. He would be the equivalent to my personal therapist, whereas you could say Harvey is my own bodyguard.

And me? Well, my name is Faith Millers. I'm atheist, an Aquarius, a republican, a notorious bookworm, an art lover with —wryly— little to no skills to draw or paint, and a junior criminology major student. I have a laptop full of music and illegally downloaded movies, a Dad who works way too much, a closet full of clothes, a small obsession with Edgar Allan Poe's masterpieces, a small apartment and a part-time job which allows me to pay rent... One day I'd like to have a puppy or two as well. Anyway, I think that's enough for you to get the picture.

So that's our group. Quite a cliche, huh? As if you'd taken us straight out of a cheap fiction novel. I used to think so too, but then again, I remember some Spanish saying which goes, _"reality surpasses fiction"_. Paul laughed at Ivye's complains and Zoe managed to smile. Harvey had his eyes and his attention focused on a redhead who was passing by us to reach the bar.

"Jeez, Faith, you already ran outta drink?" He asked, finally tearing his gaze away from the girl and gesturing to my empty glass. "I think I'll go get ya a new one." He then took the cup and walked off towards the direction his new victim had gone, without giving me a chance to reply.

His brother laughed and then shouted "Don't forget the drink!" We all chuckled along with him. Not long after, Paul started to pester Zoe, trying to take her to the dance floor. His excuse consisted in stating that such a cute girl should be rejecting the one night stand offers, not hiding from them. In the end Zoe had to relent, since Paul threatened to literally carry her over there. Her weakness was being in the spotlight, and apparently she wasn't smart enough to deduce he was just bluffing. We eyed them until their bodies became indistinguishable from the rest of people. Ivye faced me with a grin plastered across her pretty visage.

"What?" I asked, "You really want me to say it aloud?"

Her giggles, as well as the mischievous sparkle which appeared in her eye, were enough answer. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"OK, then. You were right, I need to stop being a paranoid, distrustful girl and enjoy my life with my friends." I recited her words. She just laughed and gave me a hug. Once we parted, she looked at me. There was no trace of the previous humor that had overrun her face.

"Look, Faith. I know this last month has been especially stressing for you, but remember that you're still young, you can't expect things to always go according to plan." She said. "I'm sure everything will work out, you'll see. But for now, c'mon, just enjoy the night!" She told me with a smile. I bit my bottom lip. After a few seconds I nodded.

"Well," I shrugged, "I suppose I can do it." She pulled me into another bear hug. Suddenly forgetting about her aching feet, Ivye almost drag me to the dance floor.

We left the nightclub at 5.06, with Ivye drunk and annoyingly talkative. Harvey had the redhead hanging from his neck, making out with him. He managed to send us an imperceptible gesture of farewell, I assumed.

Meanwhile, the rest of us headed towards Zoe's car. Ivye was holding onto Paul and me, babbling nonsense. I, still almost sober, hushed her. "Ivye, shut up, will ya!" I half whispered, half shrilled. Right now I was paranoid. We were midst drunk —that's, excepting Zoe—, bumping through the dark and empty streets of Harrisburg, and the perfect target for any thief looking out for some bills and cheap jewelry.

My friend scowled while humming but did as she was told. We finally reached the car. Zoe positioned herself behind the wheel, and I claimed the passenger's seat. Paul and Ivye went into the back. Once we were all with our seatbelts on and, in our blonde friend's case, with an emergency bag ready —just in case— we drove off. I gazed out the window. The street lights passed so quickly that I had to look away, and there was not a soul around. They first dropped me at my place and, after bidding goodbye, the three continued on their way. I watched the car disappear into the darkness and, with a shiver running down my back, I quickly made my way into the doorway of the building.

Once inside the elevator, I pressed my forehead against the cool metal of the walls. I could already feel the hangover which would surely appear the next morning. Damn my friends and their drinking games... Maybe you're wondering, why was I so paranoid back at the nightclub?

Well, simple answer: Kira. I'm sure most of you —if not all— have heard about him, the biggest mass murderer the world's ever known of.

It didn't matter that he died five years ago. In fact, his death had only made things worse. Since then, many criminals started to commit felonies again. The rate of crime, which during his reign of terror had been reduced by 60% worldwide, had quadrupled two months after making public the death of the false messiah. Also many of his followers had killed themselves after hearing the news. That bastard... Had he ever cared about how many lives he had taken away?

The elevator's doors opened and I went straight to my apartment. Once inside I locked up the door and put the padlock on too. With a tired sigh, I went to the bathroom to try to remove some of the makeup and brush my teeth. Maybe I would also puke. Thank goodness my stomach decided to cooperate, though. Then I went into my bedroom and, after kicking off my heels, I let myself fall onto my soft and welcoming bed. I yawned one more time, thankful that the semester at the uni was over. Now I only have one more year left.

Before falling asleep, I stared at my bedside table, where I kept a picture of my father, mother and myself when I was eleven. _"Ah, good old times..."_ I thought, lost in my memories as I looked intently at the smiley faces. I don't know how long it took me, but finally sleep came to me.

* * *

The next morning I woke up with a massive headache and the sun rays striking my face as they traveled through the half-opened blind. Oh, great, the hangover has started even before I've regained consciousness... Well. With nuisance, I slowly got up and looked at the pillow tainted with the remainder of mascara and eyeliner that last night I had failed to remove properly. Suppressing a grunt, I took off the bed covers along with my clothes and threw them into the washing.

After showering and putting on a random set of comfy PJs and taking a look inside the fridge, I improvised a small breakfast consisted by an orange, black coffee and two wonderful aspirins... I'd have to do grocery shopping soon. Making my way into the lounge, I slid down onto the sofa and quickly swallowed the aspirins first. Screw stomachache, the first thing I wanted was to get rid of the headache. I turned on the TV and switched to some random music channel, while I reached for the newspaper. Jeez, as heartless as it may sound, the news about some robbery or murder were getting old.

With a grimace, I left the paper on the seat furthest from my spot. The good habit that my father taught me of reading the newspaper every morning was beginning to take the risk of disappearing as the rate of global crime increased. I was eating my small breakfast and enjoying the music, when my cell started to beep. What now? Could it possibly be...?

Wasting no time, I reached for the phone. Private number. A smile made its way onto my lips as I accepted the call.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Ms. Faith Millers, correct?" My smile disappeared as quickly as it'd come. Instead I frowned; that didn't sound like him.

"...Uh, yeah, it's me. Who am I talking to?"

"Ms. Millers, something has happened, something that concerns your father. We immediately require your presence at Harrisburg Cemetery this afternoon. Be at the main entrance at 4.00 pm and come alone. Do not be late." The baritone voice commanded. My frown deepened.

"Wait! Who are you? What's happened?" I asked. However, the line ended up dead. I tried to call back to the number but it was useless.

Frustrated, I let out a small yell but resisted the urge to throw the phone against the floor. And Paul says I lack of self-control... What had happened to my father? Was this serious or just some fool's joke? Or worse... was this some sort of trap? I stared at the clock hanging from the wall in front of me. 2.46 pm. I still had an hour and fifteen minutes to decide if I would go or not. Then my stomach roared, reminding me of how hungry I still was. Despite having lost my appetite, I finished the orange and the coffee. Man, why did I have the feeling that it was going to be a long day...?

* * *

_"I shouldn't have come, I shouldn't have come..."_ I thought for the 20th time, looking around nervously. People walked up and down the street, passing by the graveyard's gates and the lonely, paranoid girl waiting in front of them, oblivious of her nerves and distrust. I shot a glance behind me to the inside of the burial ground. It had been quite some time since I last came here. Instead of thinking about that, I focused my attention on my watch. 4.01 pm.

"That's it, I'm out…" I muttered. I was about to call a cab when my phone started to ring. Again, private number. I answered. "…Hello?"

"Ms. Millers, thank you for coming." Spoke a robot-like voice. _"That's weird..." _Obviously, the caller had distorted his, or her, voice. But with what purpose? Why would anyone do that…? "Now, you must follow my instructions to the letter. You are currently in N 15th; go down the street until you reach Liberty St. Then turn to your right until you reach the end of the road. Once you are there, turn left until you scope Miller St.

"Parked 5 meters from your position, you'll be able to spot a black SUV waiting by the side of the road. Get into the vehicle. Once inside, you'll be escorted by two FBI agents who will blindfold you in order to protect the location to which you'll be taken." I looked around frantically while gaping. Definitely, I shouldn't have come! This was too much. "Don't be afraid, Ms. Millers. I assure you no harm will come to your person. We are the good guys. Plus, there's no escape route anyway." I'm sure I paled the moment I heard that. They were looking at me right now?

"Is this a joke? You say you're the good guys, but who are you all? Who are _you_?" I asked, trying to hide my fear. "The man who called earlier said my father is in danger. Where's he? How do you know him?"

"I'm afraid that I cannot answer that question right now. Nevertheless, I can guarantee you'll acquire some of your answers once you are safely inside the vehicle." The voice said. "And Ms. Millers, I must warn you that the more time you take to make your decision, the more danger your father is involved in. So, please, be quick. I'm sure you'll do the right thing." The voice dismissed me.

"No, _wait!_" Then the line was dead again. Shit! He got me there... I opened and closed my mouth twice. What should I do? Everything was so suspicious. Curiosity was bugging me, truth to be told, but I wasn't stupid enough to risk my life so carelessly. Isn't this how people gets abducted? Unconciously, my hand shot up towards my head, closing around my black locks. I didn't know what to do. I had no idea what to do...! Finally, I released my hair and took a deep breath.

_"Dad, if you're hurt and I get killed, I swear you'll be top on my to-haunt-forever list of people..." _I started to follow the directions I was given, and when I finally ran 'round the corner of Miller Street I saw the big black SUV parked there... So it was no joke. Was this really work of the FBI? Now that Kira was dead, the agents could identificate themselves with their badges in front of civilians if they were asked to, although no one assures you that they'll show you their real names. You know, my own father received an alias.

Ignoring the little voice inside my head that was telling me to run like hell and never look back, I carefully made my way towards the SUV. Yup, talk about common sense... I stopped in front of the back door and tried to look inside, but all of the windows were tinted black. Gulping, I finally found the courage to open the back door and slide into the car.

Right after my butt touched the middle seat, my eyes were covered with a scrap of cloth. I winced, trying to control my facial expression. _"Don't show your fear, don't show your fear..."_

"Don't worry, miss. You are in no danger." The familiar baritone voice of the man who contacted me the first time said at my right side. I heard the powerful roar of the SUV's engine as someone started to drive, feeling two arms brushing each of mine because of the curves the car was taking.

_Ugh!_ How much of an idiot can I be?! I'm probably the easiest person to kidnap in the whole world! At least I should have asked them to give me some proof that they really had something to do with my father.

"Who are you? Where are we going and what has happened to my father? Are you his colleagues or something?" The questions left my mouth with an unsure voice.

"We are from the FBI, and yes, we met with your father before he had to go." Said a younger male voice, this time coming from my left side.

"Going where? Do you know if he's alright? He was supposed to come back a month ago." I asked again. The car then turned abruptly to the right, slamming me against the owner of the younger voice. Both agents managed to stabilize me in my seat.

"We aren't authorized to..." Started the younger guy again.

"No! I have no idea of what's going on, and I have been told that I'd get my answers once I was inside the car, so I want you to tell me the truth! Moreover, since when does the FBI work like this, anonymously and treating a civilian with no police records as a terrorist?" I shouted. I was now pissed off.

I heard one of them sigh, but neither of them said anything else. I let out a sigh of my own and allow my head to fall against the headrest. Whatever consequences, my reckless choice was already made. I could only wait, and I hated it...

* * *

After forty five - fifty minutes of driving, the SUV finally came to a stop and my blindfold was removed. Squinting lightly, I glared at the appearance of the three men inside the car. The driver was a man around his middle sixties, with grey hair and small eyes hidden behind glasses with oval crystals. He was the first one to exit the car. I then turned my glare to the remaining agents. The baritone was a greatly muscled man, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked to be in his middle forties and his eyes looked at me with an unreadable expression. I turned to the other one. He remind me of a good-looking hotshot. He had black hair and blue eyes too, and his gaze mirrored the one his comrade had. He couldn't be much older than thirty. I was about to talk, when he beat me to it. "Ms. Millers, now you must follow us."

Then they proceed to exit the vehicle. I followed suit. Once outside I looked around. We were in a dark garage with the walls painted in grey, red and white, and the SUV was the only car parked there. This was no public parking, at least that I knew of. The driver was nowhere to be seen. They led me to an elevator and inside it, the blond man scanned some code which caused the machine to start moving.

"Could you at least show me your IDs?" I asked one last time, sarcasm in my voice. The agents shared an understanding look before taking them out and holding the badges to me. I noticed how they carefully hid their alias with their fingers. After examining them and the pictures, I nodded. They were not fake... Well, if they were, whoever made them made a damn good job. The agents put the badges away, safely inside the pockets of their suits. We were plunged in an awkward silence for the rest of the ride until finally the doors opened, revealing a large, grey, corridor. It seemed that we were the only ones on that floor. After a couple of minutes walking we stopped by some metal doors. The blonde agent turned to face me.

"Miss, I must ask you to hand my associate your cellphone and any other electronic device you may carry upon you. It's for security reasons." He added.

I couldn't help but release a scoff. _"Oh, well, if it's for security, of course I'll hand you my only way of calling for help if needed, pal..."_ Despite my sarcastic thoughts, which I didn't dare to voice out loud, I faced the other agent and handed him my phone. "Is that all?" Baritone asked, raising an eyebrow with genuine surprise.

"Yes." I answered truthfully.

After glancing at me one last time from head to toe, he nodded and gestured for me to follow him. I glanced back at the black-haired agent. He wasn't coming? As if knowing what was going on my mind, he subtlety shook his head, the corner of his lips twitching up so slightly almost as if he was insinuating a smile. I sighed for probably the hundredth time in that day and turned back, following my guide's lead. The blonde man was typing again some code. After that, he had a retinal scan, and the doors opened. I followed him to another door, noticing that along this corridor the vigilance cameras were in sight.

"Come in." Came the muffled response from the inside. The agent then pressed his right thumb against another scanner. What was with all the security? Perhaps they hide the Joker in there? The door opened and baritone motioned me with his head. Slowly, I entered the room. The walls were white, reminding me of a hospital; there were various desks spread out inside the office, with toys and paperwork coming out of everywhere. In the opposite wall I saw several monitors that, currently, were switched off. And in front of the monitors, sitting on an office chair and with his back turned to me, was a man. At least I assumed it was a man, since I could only see a mess of white hair.

"Welcome, Ms. Faith Millers. I'm glad you decided to trust me." Now I was sure he was a man. And a young one. I didn't answer. He then spun the chair around and faced me. His appearance shocked me. This… guy was probably my age, maybe a few years younger. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, which seemed to be a size bigger than he needed, and light blue jeans. His dark eyes stared straight at my face. There were rings beneath them. "Please, come closer and have a seat. We have a lot to discuss." Unconsciously, I obeyed. Once seated in front of him, I came back to reality.

"Who are you?" I asked with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.

He gave me a creepy half smile that I couldn't help but think was full of arrogance. "I have quite an amount of aliases but, I believe, I am most commonly known as L."

* * *

**_Disclaimer_: I don't own Death Note, any of its original characters, its plot, etc. I get no benefits while writing this fanfiction. Any similarity you may find with another fanfic it's just pure coincidence, since I've read lots of them and have got some ideas from them and/or their respective authors.**

**Any description and mention of monuments, art, organisations, etc, recognisable is truthful and has tried to be reproduced as accurately as possible.**

**However, I do own Faith and all the rest of OC which have appeared or will appear in this story.**

* * *

**A.N/: I will only post once the disclaimer above this author's note. Once again, ****welcome everyone to my story! I hope you find it somewhat entertaining and that you enjoy your reading. Now some things may seem a bit odd or out of character, but most will be explained in the next chapters, so... patience!**

**Good, bad, awful, amazing...? Remember all opinions are welcomed, so don't forget to review, please! **

**Until next time.**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	3. Answers

_**II. Answers**_

_"I have quite an amount of aliases but, I believe, I am most commonly known as L."_ The words echoed through my mind. I was staring at the young man's face, but I couldn't really see him. I could only think about what he'd just said. Did he mean the world's greatest detective L? As in my childhood hero? This… kid? ...Ha! No, it couldn't be, L couldn't be even younger than I am. Besides, why would L show his face to any other than Watari, much less a common civilian? This was definitely either a bad joke or some sort of trap.

I locked my gaze with his, trying to search for any signs of lies. Nevertheless, he wore an impassive mask, refusing to show any emotion. His owl-like eyes were so focused on me that I started to feel very uncomfortable. Still, my pride forced me to hold his gaze. Feeling the stupid need of breaking the silence, and seeing that _"L"_ didn't seem willing to do so, I took the initiative.

"By L, I assume you mean the detective who's famous worldwide, right?" I asked, feeling rather silly.

"That's correct." He answered simply. I waited for him to continue and elaborate, but he said nothing. He just kept staring me, almost as if he was studying an animal's demeanor. I inhaled deeply.

"Well, let's suppose I believe you're L," I started. "Why would you've wanted to meet _with me_ personally of all people? Why would you show me your face or tell me your true identity? What does all of this have to do with my father? And, oh, what makes you think _I_ would believe you?"

After a brief moment he started to twist a lock of white hair between his fingers. "Ms. Millers, I'll admit I first planned to talk with you by means of a computer. Once I would have been sure that you would cooperate with me, I would have let you see my face," I was about to interrupt him, but he kept talking. "However, given your trust issues and the urgency of this case, I figured out you would be more disposed to trust me if I directly showed you my face.

"Concerning the nature of your father and I's relationship... Well, Ms. Millers, as you may know, your father —being an active agent— was called to participate in a mission for the FBI on November 4th of 2016, and he was supposed to complete his task and return to Pennsylvania on April 4th of 2018. As it's obvious he didn't, we've ended up declaring he has gone missing."

Missing... No, no, no, it couldn't be! But… It made sense… Why hadn't he called me yet, as usual? If something had gone wrong, Dad would've never forgotten about me, he would have asked some colleague at work —preferebly someone who I knew personally too— to call me... Hell, I'm sure any of his superiors would have had enough common sense to do something like that! I took a deep breath; first things first. "Do you have proof?"

As if he already knew I was going to say that, he materialized in his left hand something he offered to me, along with a large set of paper sheets. After hesitating, I took them. I noticed how my jaw fell a bit, leaving my mouth ajar. It was my father's wallet, along with his ID... I looked at his picture. He was looking directly at me, wearing his black business suit, a nice white shirt and his favorite black tie. His square jaw firm and strong, his brown eyes which I had inherted stern and his lips shut, an aura of professionalism surrounding him even in 2D as he portrayed the perfect image of '_the respectable special agent.'_ I read his alias, **"Adam Milles"**, and inspected the wallet; it was the same one I bought for his birthday three years ago. Averting my eyes from it, I gazed at the papers. _"Impossible..."_

"What's this?" I asked, holding the papers.

"The truth, Ms. Millers, is that your father was never called directly by the FBI, but by me. After examining many agents' profiles, your father's was the most interesting to me, so I got in contact with him. We discussed the details of this mission, his economic compensation in case he succeed, as well as all the risks that he would take if he agreed to do it. He finally accepted my offer and set off to prepare himself. Once he signed the respective formalities and contracts which, by the way, you're holding right now, he departed.

"About this mission I keep talking about, have you ever heard about the Theory of Relativity, Ms. Millers?" Blinking a couple of times, I noticed the frown which had formed on my face once again. I dryly nodded. I heard about the basics some time ago, so it was safe to say I had a very vague idea about it, but I failed to notice what was his point.

"What does that have to do with my father and his… mission?" I asked.

He ignored me and continued. "Notwithstanding the amount of scientists who deny its validity and its relation with the time-travelling, it has been proved that it's quite possible to attain space-time travels. The groundwork of this remains in said theory. At first glance, the theory seems to affirm that bodies can only travel to the future by reaching the speed of light. But it's quite the contrary; if a body reaches such a speed, the molecules which form it may eventually disintegrate, because in the future it is not known if your destination will remain the same or will be completely destroyed. Conversely, we can know the most undervalued details of our past.

"The time travel it's also related to teleportation; once the molecules of the body reach the required speed, they need to be moved in order to remain intact. And the safest way to succeed in traveling through time is to go back to the past instead of the future, due to the reasons I have given before.

"The connection between all of these facts, your father and myself, is that he was sent in a secret mission twelve years back into the past in order to stop Kira before it's too late."

...I stopped breathing. I _literally_ held my breath. I felt something, a strong tingle in my wrists and knees, and I knew for sure that if I hadn't been seated, my legs would be like jelly due to the shock. Time-travelling? Stopping Kira? …_What the hell?_ My father is no James Bond, this had to be a trick!

A dry, mocking laugh escaped my throat as I shook my head. This was unbelievable. "Okay, that's enough, sir. If you're actors and Harvey has hired you to crack one of his damn pranks on me, then you have my most sincere congratulations, but I've reached my limits." I said once I had calmed down. Before I could stand up or keep talking, the supposed L spoke up.

"Please, Ms. Millers. I understand it's a huge shock for you, but you must remain calm and hear me out. I am no actor, neither are the two agents who have escorted you here. Your father's life, as well as many others, depend on-"

_"No."_ I interrupted. "Absolutely no! I am not disposed to hear anything else unless you can give me solid proofs to confirm that you are the real L and that my father is in danger." I said raising my voice. "This," I said, holding up the contracts, "Proves nothing; you could've simply written it and fake my Dad's signature." I threw the paper-pad to L's feet. "And this," I said holding up the wallet. "Could've been either faked, or taken from him, but that doesn't prove you're L." I grasped firmly the wallet, refusing to let it go as I abruptly stood up. The sudden movement made my head spin around, so I bent over. My breathing was faster too, until I started to hyperventilate. My ears caught the sound of the distant beep of a telephone and L's voice, still lacking emotion, as it did during his entire explanation.

"Commander, bring in a glass of water and some painkillers for Ms. Millers. She's currently having an anxiety attack."

A pair of uneasy and tense hands on my shoulders sat me down on the office chair again. And a moment later, the blonde agent who had walked me to the room appeared next to me. He knelt down and offered me a glass along with some white pills. I eyed them suspiciously. "They will help you calm down, miss. Take them." He said softly, almost paternally.

Not caring anymore, I obeyed him. Whether if I was the victim of a prank which had gone way too far, or if I had been subtly kidnapped by a sect with the aim of sacrificing me, the damage was already done, right? After taking some deep breathes I started to feel the tension leaving my muscles. I closed my eyes in relief. Nervously, I ran a hand through my long hair. I opened my eyes again. The blonde agent, or rather the Commander, offered me once again the glass. L was watching me closely. I gladly accepted the glass and drank the rest of the water. The agent gave us a curt nod before exiting, and I faced the young detective again. L didn't show any emotion.

"Feeling better, I hope?" I nodded. "Good. Ms. Millers, I can assure you the wallet you're still grasping was given to me by your own father, Aaron Millers. Also, the contracs are all real, signed in the presence of a notary, who you'll be able to meet if you still don't trust my words." He paused. I gulped.

"First, I want to hear all the story."

"Very well. Do you think you'll be able to handle the pressure which comes along with this knowledge? Or would you prefer to rest before I tell you the remainder of the information?" He asked me with the very same monotonous voice.

"...I'll be fine." I answered carefully.

"As you wish. May we proceed then?" I nodded again. "Very well, where were we? Oh, yes. As I was reporting to you, on the November 4th of 2016, your father was sent back to the year 2006, nineteen days before Kira found his weapon." I frowned. What did that mean? "Do not get anxious, Ms. Millers. Everything will be explained. After witnessing your last episode, I believe it's necessary to explain some details concerning the Kira case before we talk further about your father's mission.

"As a criminology student and aspiring detective, I assume you have already studied the Kira case, am I correct?" He asked me.

"Yes."

"What did you study? According to the books and such, how did Kira officially kill his victims?" He queried me again.

"Kira killed using mind games in order to manipulate his victims, and to later inflict them with a toxin with the same symptoms as a heart attack, before paralyzing said person's heart. He had his zealots and followers to inject the toxin so he wouldn't need to do it personally." I answered without a doubt.

"What about the criminals incarcerated who didn't die instantly? What about those kind of victims?"

"He bribed many people via money, fear, or manipulating them. Among those people were officials who could have done easily the dirty work. He recruited his followers, and Kira's ways are also a reminder of the modus operandi of Charles Manson. But there are many holes in the history, since the police didn't gave much information to the media." I responded. Once more, I ran a hand through my hair. I knew the case by heart.

He took his time to answer me; instead, he kept playing with a lock of his white hair. I stopped myself from raising an eyebrow in disbelief. So, now L acted as if he had all the time in the world but, a few minutes ago, he was rushing me because of the opposite reason…? When he answered me, this time he gave me that creepy half smile too. "Well, Ms. Millers, looks like you're quite familiarized with the entire case, at least with the official data. But tell me, what would you think if I told you that the whole history is completely wrong? That all you studied is a thumping lie?" He asked, sounding amused.

"I'd be frustrated, very frustrated..." I replied truthfully, hoping he would catch my drift.

"Comprehensible. Then, miss, let me enlighten you with the real history." He said. The speed of his twisting had increased, and that made me nervous. "First of all, Kira's methods never were to kill people by toxins or any sort of gases. Instead he used a notebook-"

"I beg your pardon but, what did you just say? A notebook? How can anyone kill with a _notebook_?" I interrupted him. Was he high on something? The only way I could imagine someone trying to kill with a freaking notebook was either throwing it at someone's head, or trying to cut them with the sharp edges of the pages, and I must admit, neither of them appeared to be very effective. L looked vexed, but I honestly didn't care. I'm not fond of being mocked.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you don't interrupt me during our conversation. I know it's hard to believe, but you will have to refrain yourself from asking any questions until I have finished, is that clear?" I pursed my lips and nodded. After all, if I were the one in L's position I would've asked for the same. I would ever admit that to him, though. "Good. As I was saying, the instrument Kira used to perpetrate his crimes was a notebook, but not an ordinary notebook." L paused to see if I was going to interrupt him again. When I remained quiet, he kept explaining.

"These notebooks are called Death Notes, and they belong to shinigamis. In case you did not know, a shinigami is what in Japanese culture is considered a god of death. Nevertheless, what makes the Death Note a deadly weapon is the fact that writing down the name of any person on its pages while having his or her face in mind causes said person to die of cardiac arrest after 40 seconds.

"However, that is not the only way to murder someone with a Death Note, but let's save that for later. All of the information about these notebooks has been classified, and I am the only one in possession of it. And, before you ask, it has never been released to public because of obvious reasons. Imagine, Ms. Millers, the chaos which would institute around the world and how many follies people would commit in order to own a Death Note... No, the world couldn't know about its existence, and that's why when Kira was defeated all Death Notes were destroyed.

"That's the first major hole in the case's history. The second is that there was more than one Kira. The original Kira was Light Yagami, who only was a Japanese student when he found the first Death Note. The second Kira was Misa Amane, a Japanese teen idol who was involved in a romantic relationship with him, and who also obtained her own Death Note. Then a third Kira appeared on scene during Yagami's and Amane's two-month imprisonment; Kyosuke Higuchi, an old member of the Yotsuba Company. He died shortly after being caught. And there was one last Kira, who was named X-Kira during the investigation; Teru Mikami, a criminal prosecutor who worshipped the original Kira. Nowadays, the four of them are dead.

"Now that you know the background of the case, I'll explain to you about your father's mission. I already told you that he was sent back in time. His ultimate goal was to infíltrate the NPA and the Kira Task Force while they investigated the case during its first year, and stop Yagami before his actions became irrecoverable. But to reach this aim, he needed to do something else, and that something was save the original L. However, seeing that he hasn't come back yet and is currently missing, we have assumed the worst and inferred that he was killed during his mission. And here's where you come into play.

"What we are offering you is the chance to travel back in time to the year 2006 and complete your father's mission." He said. "Now, you may ask me any queries you have."

Any queries... Seriously? I had too many questions to ask! If this was real... All of the information he had revealed to me... What if I reject the offer? How can you reject someone so powerful as L? I'm sure L wouldn't let me walk away with all this knowledge I'm not supposed to know. No… Of course not... Again_, if _all of this was real, by showing me his face and revealing the truth about the Kira case, he had made sure I had no chance to step back... L, you manipulative bastard!

"You said save the original L, but I thought you told me you were L..." I stated awkwardly.

"I meant exactly what I said in both cases; currently I am the detective L, but during the first year of the Kira investigation there was another man, another L, in charge of the case and carrying the title of world's greatest detective. He was the first one, and at that time I was known as N or Near. I was his first successor." He elaborated.

"His first what...?"

"You have never heard of it, but the first Watari founded an orphanage for gifted children in order to train them to one day succeed L and take his name. I was a member of said orphanage, Wammy's House. When he was murdered the same day as the original L, one of his colleagues, who managed the orphanage, took his role as I took L's. Mr. Wammy was also the first investor of the time machine, since he himself was an inventor. But the project was finally completed in 2016, so he never got the chance to see it."

"... I see." I still had questions to ask, but I wasn't able to even formulate proper sentences. The shock was too big. Nevertheless, I _had_ a question that needed to be asked. "But then, I don't understand… Why me?" I whispered, looking again into his eyes. "Why did you call me instead of a trained agent or... or someone else? It makes no sense."

Again, L... or rather, Near waited a few seconds before answering me. "Because your father requested it. Previous to his depart, I asked him if he knew of someone trustworthy who we could send in case anything should happen, and he appointed his only daughter."

I felt my jaw fall slightly again. _"Dad..."_ I thought. I would have never guessed that he would've thought about me for something like this, and after speaking with him, much less that L… I mean, Near would have agreed. Maybe he was lying… I suppressed a chuckle. Of course he had to be lying in that one… But right now I couldn't care less. Again, I felt my eyes watering and a pressure on the back of my skull. I looked back to Near.

"Assuming you're telling the truth... What would be the rules? What should I have to do?"

"You would need to start training, surpass a good variety of different tests and sign the respective contracts of confidentiality among other formalities." He answered. "Of course, the economic compensation we were disposed to give your father now will be yours." His gaze was so intense that I could even feel myself moving a few inches from my position.

Gulping and taking a deep breath, I returned his gaze. "I must be crazy for even thinking about it… But, I accept, Near. I'll do it..."

But, then again… did I have a choice?

* * *

**A.N/: Now, I think I should explain a few things. **

**First of all, in this chapter is where the slight AU can be seen; in my story C-Kira ****—Cheap Kira****—**** never existed, and the governments as well as the FBI, etc... disguised the existence of various Kiras as only one. Also, the real data about the Kira case wasn't completely destroyed but saved by Near. And about the matter of time travelling, I must confess I'm truly terrified because it's a pretty delicate subject and I'm afraid of having made a mistake, or committing one in future chapters. I made quite a lot of research and based that part of the story in a few theories which are being studied, from what I read: the Theory of Relativity —already mentioned**—**, the Tipler Cylinder, the donut-shaped vacuum, the cosmic string and the exotic matter. I, well... sort of mixed them all... Anyway, I hope I haven't messed it up too much.**

**Thank you ever****yone who has read, followed or faved, and special thanks to **WildfireDreams **for being the only person who reviewed the last chapters, you all made my day :) Hope you enjoy your reading!**

**So, was it too bad? You liked it? Was it too OOC? Anything that can be improved? Constructive criticism is especially appreciated, so don't hesitate to let me know what you think.**

**Until next time!**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	4. Workout

_**III. Workout**_

"Come on, Hail! One last effort!" Commander Rester encouraged me. Suppressing a grunt, I obeyed and continued to bend my shaky, skinny arms. Mentally, I counted; ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine...

"Hundred!" Commander and I said in unison. "You can stop now." And so I did; the instant he finished talking I collapsed onto the exercise mat. _"Oh, good, sweet heavens…"_ I heard him chuckle.

"You did fine, much better than the first time." He told me while patting my shoulder.

"If I hadn't improved after all this time, I swear I'd have killed you, Commander, I swear…" I mumbled crabbily as I started to get up. A groan came from the depths of my throat as I stretched my aching muscles. Damn stiffness... The Commander chuckled once more.

"That's all for today. Be prepared for our next session." He dismissed me. I managed to give a brief nod as the large man exited the gym. Once I was done with the stretches, I walked over to where my bag was lying forgotten on the floor and picked up the bottle of fresh water, feeling a bit more relaxed as the cool liquid ran down my throat. I took all of my belongings and then left the room which was probably the one I hated the most in the whole building. After reaching my floor, I entered my new flat. It was practically a replica of my own apartment, the decorations and most of the furniture was my own too, just that this one was more spacious and all that jazz. Carelessly, I threw the bag onto the couch and walked straight to the bathroom, ready to take a precious warm shower. While I was massaging my muscles under the water, I started to mull over the hundred and eighty degree turn that my life had taken since I had moved to Near's headquarters.

On the 31st of May, Near elaborated me all of the data concerning the Kira case, my new mission, the time machine, etc, which he considered worthy of his personal mention. That very same day I signed four contracts in presence of the same notary that witnessed my father's signature, and I was able to talk with him and verify his job. One of the contracts talked about confidentiality and responsibility towards the mission, another one towards the secrecy of Near's and Watari's identity, a third contract declared that Near was not responsible of any damage which could come to my person before, during or after, using the time machine, and a final contract which also obliged me to keep quiet about the identities of the three FBI agents who would help us, as well as any other people involved in the mission, like the notary, for example. The asshole also told me that I had to destroy my phone, since we got in contact with it and so our conversation could be compromised, putting the mission and his identity at risk. I told him that we never talked about him being L, nor any details of the mission, and that we merely mentioned that my father was in danger. Ergo, there was no chance of anyone guessing the truth, but Near just said that he didn't care and that he would not jeopardize the mission, or our lives, because of something as simple as a phone which could be easily replaced for another. Of course, I ended up with no chance but to obey him... I think that was our first fight. He also told me that, from that moment on, I would have a new name, an alias to protect my identity. When I asked him why I had to use the alias in the present time, even when they already knew my real name, he said that it was in order to help me familiarize with it and reduce the chances of my own subconscious betraying me. So, since that day on, I was called Hail Milles.

Oh! Did you know the human eye takes 300 to 400 milliseconds to complete a blink? This is approximately three to four tenths of a second. Therefore, logically speaking, a person may blink two to three times per second, and almost not realizing it. Well, having this in mind, I'd dare to say that in half of that time I was already on a private flight to New York to get settled in the headquarters along with the rest of the team, and with Near and Watari as my only companionship during the flight. I managed to say goodbye to my friends before departing, though. The excuse I used was that my father had finally appeared and that he had to stay in NYC for a while, so I was moving there too, but also that I didn't know for how long. It truly grieved me to leave them, but I had no choice.

Finally, the 1st of June I was able to see the real size of this mission. I found out that the headquarters weren't some secret hideout underground as my wild imagination convinced me of at first, but a common skyscraper in the center of the city, which Near informed me, was originally the SPK's center of investigations during the late years of the Kira case after the death of the original L. I was also surprised to find out that I would have my own floor, with a whole flat for me, instead of a single room as I took for granted. After setting up some of my belongings and furniture, I got to know the rest of the FBI involved in the mission: Commander Rester, who I first knew as baritone, former special ops squad captain; Stephen Gevanni, my so called _"good-looking hotshot"_, who was actually a skilled lock-picker and investigator; and Halle Linder, a beautiful woman who I learnt was a former Secret Service and CIA agent. To end my first day, Near gave me a full report on all of the information gathered about the Kira case.

The report incorporated a whole timeline of the case with Kira's most significant murders, and any event with influence in the case; every single one of them with its respective date and, in some cases, location. It also included an individual file about the 2006 Japanese Task Force, the original L and every Kira, additional information about the Death Notes, their rules and the shinigamis, and even some of Near's personal notes. And the best of all, is that I had to learn this entire amount of knowledge in four months... Four damn months! It was insane! I would have been shamelessly lying if I had denied that I was scared. Nevertheless, the root of my fear and all of the excitement made me start studying the reports almost immediately.

The second day, after surpassing some physical tryouts, psychological tests and a psychotechnical test, the real training started. The Commander and Halle were the ones responsible for my workout and the physical part of the training. Commander Rester was in charge of my physical shape and the improvement of all of my abilities, while Halle was the one who taught me self-defense and how to properly fight. I, at first, tried to refuse to learn fighting, but one of the clauses of one of my contracts and Near's final word meant the end of my little rebellion. I had always disliked fights, but unfortunately, I had no voice in the matter. Stephen was the one who trained me in computer competencies. He mostly taught me to hack and track down an operative system among other skills. He also showed me the art of counterfeiting, how to shoot a gun and how to properly spy onto a suspect.

About the matter of time travelling, well, Watari took me to the lab, where the time machine was kept and continuously investigated. At first sight, it reminded me of an UV machine. It was white and it looked like a human-sized capsule. What probably most shocked me was the fact that only two men —Watari assured that me they were respectful and highly skilled scientists— were the ones in charge of its functioning. Both of them, after introducing themselves, tried to explain to me the entire operation process, but at the time I was too overwhelmed to even understand half of their speech. So yeah, my visit to the lab remained postponed.

On the third day, Near told me to meet him after my training routine, and so I did, unsure of what could he possibly want. After greeting me, he informed me that from that moment on I would start to learn Japanese, and that he would become my new teacher on the subject.

Therefore, in three days, I felt as if I had become another person, completely different from the young woman who lived, contently for most of the time, in Pennsylvania. On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I had to get up at 7.00 am and, after a quick breakfast, I needed to join Halle in the gym to practice self defense or martial arts until 9.30 am. Later, I had an hour break to do whatever it pleases me —as Near so graciously stated—, and from 10.30 to midday I had to meet with Stephen for my computer and espionage lessons, two hours each. After eating, I was free to study the reports Near gave me until 20.00, when my Japanese classes began until dinner time. On Wednesdays, the timetable was pretty much the same, although instead of sessions with Halle, I had to train with Commander Rester and practice general exercises. Fridays were the worst though, since I had physically trainning with both Halle and the Commander, join Stephen for our daily four hours classes, and afterwards, I also need to pass some psychological tests to make sure I didn't suffer from an anxiety attack or something of the sort. Near wanted to make sure my health was my priority, since everything else around my person depended on it.

On Saturday mornings, I had to focus on studying psychology and criminology since _"I would face one of the most disturbed and brilliant minds of our century" _—Near's exact words. I didn't dare to ask if he was referring to Kira, a.k.a Light Yagami, or the original L. Having a look on the files, I think the description would fit both of them. Plus, I then had two extra daily hours of Japanese, speaking, writting and reading, aside from my weekly evening lessons, of course. On Sundays my lessons with Stephen continued, mostly focusing on all of the computer stuff. After my usual break I had to carry on with the Japanese classes too.

Let me tell you, being a superagent isn't as fun as it sounds. At all. At the end of the first week I had gained complications with sleep, although honestly I've never liked to sleep, and my hair was falling off twice as much as usual due to the stress. Fortunately, I got used to the routine quite quickly— more than I gave myself credit for. Gosh, is this what my father had to go through to become an agent? _"Kudos to you, Dad!"_ Today was Friday, Friday the 14th. It had been two weeks, fourteen days, 336 hours since I arrived to New York, and sixteen days since I met Near. It still felt like a dream, or rather a nightmare. However, I needed to wake up.

I finally turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, draping my body with a towel and girding a smaller one around my wet hair. I glanced at my watch. I had forty-five minutes to get ready, untangle the wet mess which I call hair and eat. While taking the food, I mentally started to revise the things Stephen taught me about how to shoot short firearms, as well as all of the Japanese terms and expressions which Near taught me during our last class. After that, I would have time to continue studying the case reports. I finished my meal and then proceed to dry off my hair. Once I reached the corresponding room, I saw that Stephen was already waiting for me. When he spotted me he gave me a brief smile, almost inappreciable, which I returned.

"Ready to test your aim?" I was already sighing even before Stephen was able to finish the question. He chuckled in response. All my teachers seemed to do that a lot around my presence… Well, excepting Near.

For the first hour we went into the firing range, where I kept shooting against the target's body and succeeded at hitting it in the stomach and even the chest. Once we were done with the guns, we spent the next hour with the computers. While Stephen tried to hide his system I needed to track it down while avoiding deection, which —let me tell you— was much more complicated than it sounded. In the remaining hours we focused on counterfeiting. In the beginning I had to connect dots of drawings and words as in the calligraphy exercises for little children. Stephen told me it was necessary in order to gain the accuracy and precision required to make an almost perfect forgery. And moreover, seeing my lack of drawing skills, I had no choice but to obey. Also, seeing that my abilities with a gun were quite good for someone with no previous experience, and after ten days of practice, Stephen decided to dedicate less time to the shooting, and more to the counterfeiting. So I was able to move onto the next level and started to copy simple drawings or texts, in the last case, emulating the calligraphy, etc... At the end of the class my drawings were still amorphous, but the texts started to have good resemblances with the originals.

Now that our time was over, I had thirty minutes for myself before taking the new psychological test. When I was done with that, I was told that my pattern didn't suffer any significant change, and that I was perfectly fine, just like my previous results... I would need to speak with Near about this. And how convenient, now I had to meet him for our two hours Japanese class.

Once I entered the room, I wasn't surprised to see it full with toys everywhere. Carefully, trying to avoid treading onto any robots or dice constructions, I made my way over to the young sleuth. He was kneeling on the floor, solving what looked like a puzzle completely white. I was able to spot a gothic _"L"_, his symbol, on the puzzle's upper left corner. "Welcome, Milles-san. Ready for our class?" He asked me in Japanese without turning to face me.

"Yes, Near-sensei." I answered in the same language. We started to have a simple conversation in which I introduced myself, telling him my name, age, where was I born and all of the basic things so I could remember what I learnt in the previous classes. After the ten minutes review, we started the real lesson. The last half hour was spent with me practicing my Japanese writing and reading, and with Near giving me some advice and lots of critiques. I still had troubles with it.

"Our time's over, Milles-san. Until our next class." Near dismissed me. However, I didn't move. I finally found enough courage to ask him.

"Near, I already got my results on the psychological test," I started, talking again in English.

"I'm aware of that, Ms. Milles. I got your results as well." He responded in English, concentrating back onto his puzzle.

"Then you have noticed that I have obtained the same results as the last ones, and that I'm in no danger of mental breakdown...".

"Please, Ms. Milles, tell me already what are you exactly implying."

"Alright. I don't want anymore weekly tests for keeping my mental stability in check. I don't see that it's necessary and I believe that, if I keep taking them, the tests themselves will provoke the excessive stress you've trying oh, so hard, to keep away from me..." I said. He didn't blink or move, just kept putting pieces together until the puzzle was completed. Near then looked at my face, twisting a lock of white hair and tempting me to do the same with my own hair.

"The tests will not be cancelled." I resist the urge to interrupt him. For that, he seemed pleased, "However, I can allow you to take only a single test at the end of each month."

I knew this would be his final word, so I nodded contently. Definitely better than the weekly tests.

"...Were you scared?" He looked back at me, and I'd dare to say that, despite his impassive mask, he was genuinely confused by my sudden question. "I mean, while investigating, and while you were confronting Kira after knowing that not even your predecessor was able to survive..."

"...Scared... Fear, an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat... Perhaps there were brief moments in which I feared for my life, but I can't think of any situation in which I truly felt dread." Near took his time to look right into my eyes. "Are you scared, Hail?"

I looked away before returning his gaze. "Would it be of some use if I lie and say no?" He shook his head, a small smirk playing in his lips. I sighed. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life..."

"You may want to repeat your statement once you confront both Kira and the original L." I gulped, feeling like a little kid who was being lectured. "Do not underestimate, nor misinterpret, my words. I was just trying to make you see that this is neither a game nor a film, but a real mission with real danger. And you will do well in taking a look upon the harsh reality. If you already think that you are scared, then what will happen once you see people actually dying or Kira's two faces? Will you have enough emotional control to keep up your performance and enough cold blood to let the precise people die, Ms. Milles?

"Once you travel back in time, there will be no classes, no support and no information to help you reach your task, which remember, in the end, is not save the original L but to stop Kira, no matter what. You will be on your own, alone. If you can, you should try to save L, but bring Kira down takes first priority. That's the final goal. Now it's obvious to me that your father didn't have enough training, and if he had been a little more prepared for this, he could still be alive. But we rushed things. Ironically, we didn't take enough time, and in consequence we committed a reckless act which principally cost your father his life. Now, in order to make up for all of this, we are making you train as much as possible. Everything is meant to ensuring your safety but, in truth, it will mostly depend on you."

I nodded absently. A tense silence formed between us, but Near was still looking at me. "...Can you tell me about Kira? I know I already have a file regarding each one of them, but I'd like to hear your personal view on him... Yagami, I mean. Your notes talked about Death Notes, shinigamis and the original L and Watari, but never of Kira." I asked.

"My opinion is that Kira was a fool," He answered after another tense silence, "Not a god, but a god's buffoon. Nevertheless, his intelligence and lack of scruples were almost as admirable as it was disgusting. His charm and acting skills were one of his pillars along with his determination and intelligence. An extremist with a dream and the means in his hands... Indeed, a very dangerous subject." He paused. "From what your father told me once before leaving, you have similar opinions about Kira. Actually, even more extreme than my own. You hate him while I almost pity him, am I correct?"

"You are, as usual..." I muttered the last part, but due to his quirky smirk, I could only assume he had heard me.

After that, we fell again into silence. I started to take into consideration Near's words. I did share his opinion but I couldn't find a way to pity someone like Kira, a cold-blooded mass-murderer who killed tens of thousands of people according to his own judgment. That was no justice. However, being completely sincere with myself, a great amount of my hate and intolerance was totally biased...

"I think you should go now, Ms. Milles, unless you want to discuss anything else?" I blinked a few times, snapping from my daydream and internal demons.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for your time." I answered, standing up.

"You're welcome," He told me smoothly. "Until next time."

I made my way to my apartment, even more confused than I was before. Would I have enough strength to stand this mission? Or would I become another dead pawn? That night, before falling asleep on my bed while I was studying the case's reports, I realized something. Quite an idiocy, but still something astounding for me, considering I didn't like formalities and Near's lack of tact and social skills. It had been the first time Near had addressed me with my false forename. Hmm… Perhaps there was still hope for him?

* * *

Three months had passed before I knew it, and I only had sixteen days left before the big day. I must admit I was highly surprised to see all the advances I had made.

For a start, my body had become eighty percent of muscle and I was in a better physical shape than ever before. Thanks to Commander Rester, now my flexibility, strength, speed and endurance were three times greater than they were originally. And through Halle's training, I acquired skills in Krav Maga, Karate and also a bit of Capoeira —this last one I learnt due to Near's insistence—, but actually, I still disliked fights and truly hoped I would never be involved in one, aside from the trainings or just for having some fun with Halle.

I also became "a good shooter at long-range with handguns" —Stephen's words—, although I as of yet had trouble with moving targets and shooting long firearms. My computing competencies also moved forward, from just using Microsoft and simple softwares, to being able to hack into a full system and track it down with ease without exposing my presence. The issue of forgery was the most difficult, since I still hadn't gotten any closer to make my drawings and copies half as similar to the originals. I was good at mimicking texts and calligraphies and all of the other stuff. The only thing which escaped my grasp were the bloody drawings. My Japanese had also improved by a lot. At the end of July, I could speak it fluently and I was able to read and write texts of medium and low complexity. My classes since 1st of August focused on learning criminal language, terms and expressions relating to the judicial language and police slang. I also advanced into criminal psychopathology, victimology and personality psychology, principally focusing on the subjects which would be useful for me once I face Kira. I had also learnt almost completely the whole timeline of the case and the Task Force files, and I was now focusing my attention and time in the data concerning Death Notes and Near's notes.

Seeing that I had regained quite an amount of self-confidence, Near and I decided —really the two of us for once— that I should visit the lab and get to learn about how the time machine functioned. So that was what I was up to for today. I was making my way towards the lab alongside Watari, submerged in a comfortable silence.

When we passed the lab's doors we were greeted with confused and curious gazes from the two scientists. Despite I had already been told, I failed to remember the actual occupations or degrees of these two men, something related to physics. So in my mind they remained as _"scientists"_. Watari cleared his throat before speaking.

"Ms. Milles is now able to handle all of the information concerning the time travel, gentlemen. Please, make sure not to overwhelm her." With that said, he turned around, striding to the exit. I watched after the old man's back, slightly surprised that he didn't remain there with me. Regaining my composure, I faced the two scientists. One of them took a tentative step forward.

"Ms. Milles," The scientist with short auburn hair and glasses spoke up, "We already met, but it seems like introductions are in order. I'm Dr. Hodgson, and this is my colleague, Dr. Leighlin." He gestured to the black haired man.

Dr. Leighlin nodded to me before talking. "How about we start showing you the machine itself and its functioning, miss?"

I smiled, wondering if those were their real names; surely not. "I couldn't think of a best start, sir. Please, lead the way." After that, the tension seemed to slacken a bit, and I felt my nerves and excitement growing as we approached the UV machine wannabe.

"So, at first sight, it may look like an ordinary UV machine, or something along those terms..." _Ding, ding, ding!_ We have a winner! I suppressed the urge to grin, "...but it's even simpler than that."

I frowned. "How so?"

The two men smiled a bit, and then proceed to open the machine. In its interior, the base of the machine was covered with some light green material which remind me a lot of plasticine, although more... gooey. I slowly extended my right hand, guiding it towards the material. Given that none of the scientists made a move to stop me, I pressed a finger onto it, watching now with a full grin how the green substance yielded to my weight and how recovered its original shape when I lifted my finger.

"That's fluid gel composed of silicone and latex, chemically altered in order to achieve a greater adaptation than the average fluidity of said materials. When you lie down on it, it forms and adapts perfectly to the shape of your body, recovering its original state once you get out of it, as you've just checked." Dr. Hodgson explained. "When the upper clamshell is closed and the machine is activated, we force the consciousness of the subject to go blank. Roughly speaking, we induce the person into a comma of first degree. After ensuring that the subject is unconscious, we enter the exact date and location of where we need or want to send the subject to into the computer. Afterwards, we activate these devices to reach inside the machine the speed of light and make the molecules of the body sufficiently fluid for transportation."

"You see," Dr. Leighlin took over the explanation. "Space can be curved into a donut shape to create a field of internal gravitation capable of dragging with it space and time close to said field. The existence of such an extreme gravitational attraction is what allows us to return to the past. After that, the speed increases more or less, and consequently the gravitational attraction too, making it possible for us to create a closer curve or a wider curve, depending on how many years into the past we want to travel. The more years into the past, the more speed is required. And, since it's a path with a closed loop, the closed timelike curve makes the subject return to the space-time from where he left. Finally, the computer alerts us when the body has been completely moved." He finished... _Whoa_…

"Then, once the body is moved, the machine is turned off?" I asked curiously.

"Absolutely not!"

"The machine remains active until the subject has come back." I was surprised by their sudden outburst. The two men cleared their throats uncomfortably before regaining composure and elaborating. "If the machine would be disconnected, the curve would disappear; the linkage between the subject and the machine, the past and the present time, would be broken and the subject would never be able to go back to his time. It's strictly necessary to keep it functioning." Answered Dr. Leighlin.

"I see..." I said in a barely audible voice. I was mesmerized, eyeing curiously the monster where I'd get in in a few days time. I finally turned my gaze aside and looked at the two men. "How does the subject get back to the present?"

"We also set the exact date on which the machine will start a reverse process to transport the subject, bringing the body back into the future, or rather, the present time. The location is more flexible during this process, although it works better if the subject is in the same whereabouts or a place near to where he or she first appeared." I nodded. A sudden wave of fear overcame me.

"If, during his stay in the past, the subject makes significant changes in the world and in his personal life, how does he know what changes are those? How does he keep himself sane once he gets back to the present?" I asked, not bothering to try hiding my worry.

The both smiled at me. "We record every single day that passes in this world, and in this building, since the first time a subject was sent to the past as an experiment. Later, we compare it with the subject's knowledge to see if something has significantly changed, noting what we saw and said during that time and comparing it as well with our own knowledge of the moment. Afterwards, we write it down on a journal. We also write in said journals some of our simplest thoughts, to later see if our way of thinking has changed, regardless of other general, national or worldwide changes. It's a very... unreliable method, but one we believe is trustworthy due to the complexity and relativeness of time."

"Actually, we aren't always sure if something has already changed without our notice. For example, your own father may have changed something with his journey. He could have indirectly affected someone's actions or life and we wouldn't have constancy of said change, not even the hypothetical person affected, since we wouldn't think that our actions had been altered by an external factor," Added Dr. Hodgson.

"If you come back, Ms. Milles..." I unwittingly shivered, "...you will be the only one who will know to what extent your life has changed due to your actions in the past."

We kept talking for a little bit until I decided that I had all the required information. It was lunch time but my stomach seemed to be sick with nervous, so I decided to skip it. I didn't want to puke on poor Stephen and his surely expensive executive shoes during my next class.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Near asked me. I gulped and nodded slowly. I remembered all of the reports and lessons I took. The only thing slipping from my memory were some points about victimology and what I learnt about Japanese, but I didn't care about that anymore. I took a few deep breathes. The gel mattress was cool against my skin, and it sent goosebumps through my body. "Remember what I told you." He said, looking at me from above with a calm expression on his face. I took another deep breath and lightly closed my eyes, relaxing my body.

"Good luck, Faith." I heard him, just before the upper clamshell closed.

I concentrated on all of my happy memories, especially the ones in which I was with my father. Each time I was more and more relaxed, until finally I stopped feeling, thinking... I finally lost consciousness.

* * *

**A.N/: Okay, this is the longest chapter so far.**

**Well, this was one of the most complicated for me because of all the time-travelling stuff. I really hope I haven't messed up any theory or something... Anyway, thank you everyone who has read, favorited, followed and reviewed!**

**To answer **Lenore Roswell's** question, yes, you are correct assuming so; my first language is Spanish. But being the headstrong author I am, I decided to take the risk and write a story in a language different of my own. I asked myself, _"Why not?"_**

**A huge special thank you to **Lynn06 **for helping me out with the story. All the chapters, from the prologue to this one have been revised by her. Thanks Lynn, you're awesome! :)**

**Hope you enjoyed your reading!**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	5. Outset

_**IV. Outset**_

_"Dreams are the cradle of our deepest secrets, fears and desires..."_ That's what my father said before disappearing. I still remember our last meeting. We were sitting in an old cafe. It replicaded the decors and the furnishings of Victorian London in ravishing detail, reminding me a lot of the pubs which were frequented by the famous Sherlock Holmes in its novels and screen adaptations. I also remember the scents of the place. Mint, whiskey, and snuff pipe and cigars, the smoke tempting me to ask one for myself. I knew my father wanted to light a cigar, but restrained himself because of my presence. That day, we talked about everything and nothing, but the part I remember best about our conversation is when I told him about my dream the night before. I was running through a land of nothingness, full of shadows, but I wasn't being chased, when suddenly a pile of skulls appeared in front of me. I stopped running and I looked at the top of the pile. A crow was perched there, eating a rotten apple. Before something else could happen, I awoke, soaked in sweat.

I never understood why it had creeped me out so much when I had had nightmares that were three times worse, but my father told me to not give it importance. He only said that it was probably a display of my fear for him and his life. While I was unconscious I didn't dream again, but I looked back on that day. I needed my father; I needed to succeed in this mission.

When my eyes fluttered open at last, I was surrounded by four white walls. The bright light was coming somewhere on my left side. I tried to get up from the dusty floor but it felt as if I had drunk a whole bottle of tequila and later got into a fight, so I decided to rest a bit before exploring the apartment. So this is how you feel after travelling twelve years back into the past, uh? Nice… Note to self, _never_ do this again.

After some time the pain in my head and limbs started to ease, and I found myself looking around. My first impressions were wrong; the place was already furnished. There was a couch, a small table supporting a TV, a mini fridge next to the dining table with two chairs and a desk with a gooseneck lamp and a laptop on the other end. When I turned towards the entrance, through the corner of my eye, I caught glimpse of a long corridor leading elsewhere. I stepped into the first room, which was a small kitchen. I mentally sighed in relief when I saw that there were incorporated appliances and a washing machine, as well as plates, flatware, a microwave and two frying pans and a pot. The next room was supposed to be my dorm; it only had a bed and a pedestal lamp, aside of a bathroom annexed. Not even a wardrobe… _"Don't be fussy and stop complaining!"_ I told myself. After all, Near had sent Watari to prepare everything for me; the man had found an apartment with a decent rent, bought and arranged all the furniture and had left me under the laptop a large amount of yen, equivalent to forty thousand dollars cash. He had also left there a fake passport and international driving license —both had my alias—, the apartment keys and a cell phone. The rest depended on me... I exited the small house and quietly walked down the stairs until I reached the building's doorway. I could have used the elevator but I preferred to stretch my legs. My new apartment was on the first floor of a building in Aoyama, so if the adress is correct the Yagami household, as well as Light's high school, should be less than two hours of driving away. After scrutinize both sides of the street, and the whole neighborhood, I decided to go buy food, clothes and a good camera. Maybe a wig too. I had a feeling that I would need it.

After some time I found everything I wanted. A street away from my building I had spied a drugstore and a small grocery, both with good bargains. I left the food and toiletry items in the house, before returning to my search for a brown wig and the camera. Once I had everything set up, I took my new laptop... An Apple? Hmm... Curious, I remember that in 2015 Samsung won the commercial battle.

Anyway, I turned on the machine and started to study maps of my neighborhood, as well as the directions of the Yagami household, the police station and Daikoku Private Academy. For now, I made the decision to follow the family members, especially Light Yagami, and observe his demeanor before finding the Death Note. I wanted to see the person before the monster. Later, I'd consider if my indentity was worth risking by hacking his computer.

Today is the 1st of October, 2006. I had 54 days before Kira appeared and to devise a plan to allow me to infiltrate the investigation. It would be enough time, wouldn't it?

* * *

"See you tomorrow, Light-kun!" I heard the voice of the girl say in excitement. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, so instead, I focused my gaze on the young man standing in the house doorway, politely waiting for the girl to turn the corner of the street and disappear from his sight. I watched him enter his house quickly without a second look around. After ten minutes, I made my way towards my own apartment. Today it was the sixteenth of November, meaning that I only had little more than one week left before seeing the promising boy become a murderer. To say I was nervous, that was an understatement.

I began to think through everything I had done since I came to Aoyama. To be blunt, the first two weeks were awful. All of the Japanese Near taught me seemed to be stuck somewhere in my brain, and everytime I tried to talk back to someone or read some signal the words fell dead in my mind, or I read the words horizontally instead of vertically. Actually, that kept happening from time to time. Yeah, everything was overwhelming, and that was the last thing my nerves and health needed. But after nine days I overcame it. My Japanese really improved a lot, and my life started to fall into an almost calm routine since the 12th of October, the first day that I decided I would start spying on Light Yagami. When at last I saw him in person for the first time, I hate to admit it, he made quite an impression on me. He was probably the stereotype of a perfect man: handsome features, the best grades and a gentlemanly attitude. His family also looked perfect; a sweet mother who kept his home running, a cute little sister and a father who was a respected officer. He had everything, there was no doubt of it.

I also have to admit, I envied him a little, which made me dislike him even more... But leaving aside my personal views and feelings, Light was also somehow... passive... Let me explain. Most of the time he looked like a robot, doing what he had to do due to society values. I wasn't sure if I thought so because I know what will happen to him... Anyway, back to the point. He had no problem expressing emotions, though. If something amused him, he would laugh with no problem. If something bothered him, he would try to change it and show his discomfort… I really didn't know what to think. A psychopath that can empathize? Scary, but not possible. He appeared to have a slight personality disorder, as well as a sense of superiority which, looking past it, could lead us to state Light Yagami probably suffered from megalomania. He hid this well, under a mask of politeness and false humility. I had to admit too he was very interesting psychologically speaking, and a perfect mind to study. A little part of me, the criminology major and researcher, couldn't wait to see what happened to change his nature... Or rather, how the Death Note made him finally release his true psyche. It was frightening, yet not many could say they had analyzed a psycho such as Kira or participated in a case with such measures. I also made the decision of stopping my tracing three days after Light finds the Death Note. Technically, the shinigami owner of said Death Note had 39 days before appearing in the human world, but I didn't want to take any risks. I had everything planned, but now it was necessary that the original events unfolded without changes in order to make it work.

* * *

Faster than I would have liked, the day had come. It was night time. Tomorrow that Death Note would be found and Kira would be reborn. I couldn't sleep. I spent hours and hours in the darkness, looking at the ceiling and moving from one side of the bed to another. Despite having already formulated a plan —a simple one, but still a plan—, I started to imagine all of the possible scenarios that could take place. Light could see me while I followed him and suspect me for some reason —this was the most unlikely, because what could he actually find suspicious?—; he could change his mind and get rid of the Death Note and then there would be no case, and I would be stuck for more than a year in the past —this one, I didn't really think of it as a possibility—; or the one I feared most, that someone else could take the notebook before Light and so most of the reports I studied would be meaningless and the advantage I've gained would only become a pressure at the back of my skull.

The last scenario made me think... What if it was _me_ picking up the Death Note before him? Then Kira would never exist, and the mission would be somehow accomplished as well... That still left me with the problem of my imprisonment in the year 2006 but well, it was definitely worth it! The only flaw would be that I wouldn't be able to meet L, but I could live with that knowing that once I am back to the present Kira will have never existed and that many lives were saved... Including their's. Yes, tomorrow I would try to take the Death Note before him. Having made up my mind, I got up from bed and rushed to the small kitchen. After searching in some drawers I finally found the sleeping pills. Those had helped me a lot since October, as I've never liked to sleep and my stress didn't make things easier either.

This morning wasn't different from any other in the life of Light Yagami. He exited his house punctually, as always, and made his way towards Daikoku Private Academy with his school uniform faultless and a look of boredom and apathy plastered on his ridiculously handsome face. He got to school two minutes before time, and that's when I leant my back against the wall of the building opposite to the entrance of the school. The wind picked up, blowing one of the wig's brown curls into my forehead and mouth. Everytime I went outside I always changed my appearance. I would have never imagined that someone could look so different with a brown, long, curly wig on, some cosmetics blue lenses, and a skirt or a dress instead of my usual jeans and pants. I pushed the curls aside while I fixed my gaze onto the classrooms' windows.

After some time I started to walk around the school in circles. I already knew the building was fenced, but nevertheless I wanted to take a look around. My thoughts were right, there was no way to enter but the front doors or the teachers' parking, and either of them would be too risky. So, after circling the school for the second time I returned to my position against the wall, at a safe distance from the entrance. I waited there for hours, looking around every few minutes in hope of spotting a black notebook somewhere but with no luck, until I finally heard the bell announcing the end of classes. I gazed back at the front doors, looking for a certain familiar murderer's visage.

When I saw him, his face was still the same as the one he had when he exited his house. Once Light was reaching the end of the street I started to follow him as well. Now I didn't want to tear my stare apart from him. If he spotted the notebook I wanted to know so I could take it before him, and if I wasn't able to do so, at least I wanted to see his reaction after finding the fatal weapon. But nothing happened. He entered his house as he did everyday, and that's all. I frowned. What had gone wrong?

* * *

Five days later, no victims had appeared. Until today. Today Kira would kill his first victim. I was now even more cautious than before. I followed Light, but he was still the same. I had no clue whether he had found the Death Note or not, no sudden change in his daily routine. Maybe one of my theories was right after all? I didn't have the guts to actually make sure of it. Currently Light was reaching the front of his house. And another day passed, he got inside without a look around, oblivious of my presence. I was, once again,on a distant street. The case's timeline showed that Kira's first victim died the 28th of November, at 18.24. And currently it was 18:19. Maybe the data was wrong about the time of death? Or Light didn't find the Death Note? I sighed and after a couple of minutes, I started to make my way around the neighborhood. I spotted a small cafe at the corner of the street, a block away from Light's house. I was the only customer, except for a young couple in the seat furthest from mine, near the window, while I was in a corner in front of a TV posted on the wall. Right now it was showing the news, fortunately for me.

**_"…Taking 8 people hostage at this daycare centre. His captives include both children and teachers. The police have now identified the suspect as 42-year-old Kuro Otoharada, currently unemployed. We expect negotiations to begin immediately...,"_** The newscaster was saying. I looked intently at the TV screen displaying a picture of the kidnapper. Otoharada was a Japanese man with small, dark eyes, black hair and a severe face. I glanced quickly at my watch. 18:23. This man was going to be the first victim? My coffee arrived, black and hot. I took a quick, short sip, focusing on the news. My heart was pounding a little faster than usual. **_"At the present time, that's all the police are telling us."_**

_**"You can't help but feel concerned for the safety of those hostages,"**_ Another journalist commented. I sighed impatiently while sipping again my coffee and drumming my fingers against the table. The newscasters continued to talk about Otoharada. I glanced around me. The couple I saw by the window was now looking at the TV screen while voicing their concern for the little kids and their teachers. The waiter who had brought me my order was also listening to the news while absently cleaning a glass behind the counter. And then, it passed.

_**"Wait, we're seeing something here. Looks like there's movement at the front entrance,"**_ The first newscaster exclaimed.

_**"The hostages are coming out and they all look to be unharmed. The Special Forces are taking action, they're moving in! We don't know if the suspect's been arrested."**_ I left the cup onto the table, carelessly. Had it finally…? _**"Huh? Yes? Ok, we now have confirmation. The suspect has been found dead inside. I repeat, the suspect is now dead!"**_ My eyes widened two times more than normal. I checked my watch frantically. It was 18:24…

_**"The Special Forces are denying allegations that they shot the suspect."**_

_**"So, it's quite possible he was feeling cornered and decided to commit suicide?"**_

_**"Well, according to statements from hostages the suspect just suddenly collapsed."**_ Ok, that's it. I gulped down the rest of the coffe and left the money next to the empty cup and unopened sugar pack. Before I exited the cafe, trying to look as calm as possible, I heard bits of the conversation going on between the couple.

"What do you think that happened?" The guy asked.

"I don't know, but he's surely better dead…" The girl answered. So, unintentionally, there it was the first Kira supporter… I resisted the urge to voice my own opinion and continued on my way towards the Yagami household.

When did Light find the Death Note? Was it at school? Of course! Otherwise, I would have seen him picking it up. I rushed past the houses until I was at my usual spot. Just in time. I saw Light getting out of the house with his face tense and his eyes focused on nothing, deeply concentrated. So that was it, he had the Death Note. He quickened his pace a little, and so I did. While I watched his back, I couldn't help but scowl. I felt a sudden anger crawling from my stomach through my whole body.

Sure, I was glad the hostages were safe and all, but I couldn't stand the indifference he was showing. We were still talking about human lives! Did he feel nothing? Otoharada deserved a fair trial as well as a punishment —not being murdered before he could be judged or see if he was going to change his mind. Thanks to my Dad's work and influence, I came to learn that many of the average criminals were just normal people who, during some point of their life, had made a bad decision. Of course, I don't condone their acts, but what Light would try to achieve... It was just wrong... for me at least.

Before I knew it, Light was already entering the school again for cram. I slowed my pace as I walked up, passing by the front doors and stopping in front of a wall with different ads and bulletins. I had to gain back enough cold blood. Near was right. If I was already angered with Light when he was only experimenting... No, wait, I refuse to use such term with human lives. I got it; when he was only verifying the Death Note's power by chance, then what would I do once I see him intentionally killing, being totally conscious of his actions? I needed to control my emotions before my cover was blown up. When I started to feel calmer, almost numb, I decided to take a walk before coming back to wait for Light. An hour later, students began to make their way out of the building, and through the corner of my eye I spotted Light walking on his own. Taking a deep breath, I followed him, trying to keep my own feelings in check.

"Dammit, why is my mom so useless?! She's never here to pick me up on time!" A teen started to rant. Jerk...

Both Light and I kept walking up the street. I was a few metres behind him, trying to act natural. A gust of wind hit my back as four motorcycles were speeding up the road. When they passed by my side they slowed down and started to shout expletives and what should be considered in their standards manly cliche lines. I saw Light turning around slightly, looking behind his shoulder without stop walking. _"Shit!"_ I immediately looked down and ignored the dopes, hoping that they just would go away so Light could do the same. _"Faith, you idiot! That's why you're wearing a wig!"_ I mentally snapped at myself. After shouting something else along the lines of "sourpuss bitch", they sped up again. I looked up once more to find Light's back facing me. I sighed in relief.

However, we had advanced just a few metres more when the dopes with the bikes started to pester another poor girl, fencing her in with their vehicles.

"Hey baby, where you going? Come have a little fun with us!" Yelled the one with the sunglasses despite being in front of the girl.

"That's our Takuo for ya. This guy can spot a hottie a mile away" Said another.

"And this one looks hotter than the other chick, ain't she?"_...Was he referring to me?!_

"What's up little lady, the name's Takuo Shibuimaru. What do ya say, come hang out with us, pretty lady?" Uh, oh... I looked at Light, then back at the guy as I kept walking, speeding up my pace.

Light did the same; he looked briefly at them before entering a shop. I glanced at the girl with guilt as I passed by their side, hoping, almost _praying_, that they would just leave her alone the same way they did with me. But that didn't happen. I had my back to them when I heard the girl scream. Turning around I found that they were trying to undress her. I gasped, feeling hopeless. I had to help her somehow! Before even realizing it, I had already looked behind them at Light through the shop window. He was looking at some random magazine, focusing on the guys with the girl from time to time.

On the other hand, I kept glancing between him and the girl, paralyzed. Had he…? Suddenly, the girl managed to push out of the way of the crowbar which one of them held against her neck and started to run towards where I was standing, holding the unbuttoned coat tightly to her body.

"Hey, wait up!" The Takuo guy screamed, turning on the bike's engine and chasing after her.

"Takuo, look out!" Someone yelled frantically. And when I fixed my gaze into the bike, I watched it… You know, in movies many times these scenes are slowed down so the audience can have some time to think about what is happening. But the fact that the accident transpired much more rapidly reminded me once again that this was real life, and I wasn't able to even think, much less say anything as I watched impotently the bike and its rider crashing fiercely against a truck's front... I felt my jaw fall and my heart beat forcefully. He was surely dead... There was no way he could have survived that... The girl screamed before falling to her knees. She looked up at me and ran towards where I was standing, frozen in my spot.

"Please, help me...!" She begged shaking my jacket and letting herself fall against my person, burying her face in my shoulder. The poor thing started to sob. I numbly wrapped my arms around her thin frame, still looking forward. Light was also frozen, looking horrified. He had done it... Right in front of me... This is how Kira was reborn. And I was the only one aware of this... People started to crowd around the dead body and the girl and me, asking us if we were alright. I didn't do anything; I only stayed there, jaw-dropped and shocked. I watched dumbly as Light put something inside his bag and proceeded to hurry out of the shop. He clutched a hand to his mouth and started to run in the opposite direction of the conmotion taking place. Then I heard a siren. An ambulance and a police car had arrived. But too late... Someone made the girl finally release me, making me react in the process.

Before an agent could come up to me I started to walk, moving away from the crowd. While I was passing the crosswalk, I couldn't help but gaze at the man's corpse... Well, actually I wasn't able to see much. There was too much blood... And the body... I chuckled... What body? What once had been a person, now was a mess of blood and flesh amorphe mixed with the metallic rests of a destroyed motorcycle. I quickly dropped my gaze to the floor while I quicken up my pace. I wanted to go home. I needed to go home. Half way I accidentally bumped into someone's side.

"Pardon me..." I muttered numbly.

I wanted to go home... I wanted it so badly... It seemed like forever, but I finally reached the apartment. I walked into the bedroom. After picking out the clothes that would suffice me as pyjamas, I got into the bathroom. I took off the wig and the lenses, then washed my face. The baggy shirt and leggings which had become my PJs felt comfortable… At least more comfortable than the dress and boots I'd previously worn. The coolness of the floor tickled my feet, sending goosebumps through my body. I giggled; I've always liked to be bare feet. When I was done with everything, I stared at my reflection in the mirror...

Man, didn't I look like shit... My straight black hair was falling past my shoulders as tangled as ever, my lips were slightly parted and my eyes... They still were opened wide and looking shocked, and it was as if suddenly rings had formed beneath them. I was a mess, no doubt. But looking at my reflection I finally awoke from the trance I had been submerged in ever since I saw the girl being almost raped. And I finally cried... The tears started to fall down my cheeks like small waterfalls without control. I had just seen Kira in action... not through a TV screen as with Kuro Otoharada, but right before my very own eyes...

I tried to chock back a sob, placing firmly my right hand above my mouth. I couldn't help but wonder… Had my dad died like Kuro, with a simple heart attack? Or on the other hand was his murder disguised as an accident like Takuo's...? Another louder sob escaped my lame attempts to silence them, and I was positive that some neighbour had heard it.

* * *

_Near took his time to glance right into my eyes. "Are you scared, Hail?"_

_I looked away before returning his gaze. "Would it be of some use if I lie and say no?" He shook his head, a small smirk playing in his lips. I sighed. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life..."_

_"You may want to repeat your statement once you confront both Kira and the original L."_

* * *

Now I completely understood Near's words... And I was able to see the real danger I was in too. _"Dad, what the _hell_ have we gotten ourselves into?"_ I thought. That night not even the sleeping pills helped me rest.

_"It has begun… The monster has been born."_

* * *

**A.N/: Sorry for the lack of dialogue and action, but fortunately, next chapter will be more interesting.**

**T****hank you everyone who has read, favorited, followed and reviewed.**

**Until next time!**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	6. Collision

_**V. Collision**_

It had only been six days and the number of criminals who had died from heart attacks had reached hundreds. I kept track of most of them, hacking into newspaper offices to see if some deathes were hidden from the public. Several times my mind dreamt of the possibility of hacking into Light's system or even the NPA's too, but I always decided against it. I couldn't do anything about my lack of bravery.

All of the precautions I took; the false identities, the wig and the lenses, the cash payments instead of credit card... seemed not to be enough to ease my paranoia, yet on that cold morning of the 3rd of December I found myself possibly doing one of the stupidest things which have ever crossed my mind. I moved to the Teito Hotel. Once one of the cheapest rooms was available I wasted no time and booked it, taking with me my clothes, laptop and all my stuff.

And you may be wondering, why did you do it, Faith? Well, it's simpler than it seems.

While I was still at the present time, a couple of days before my departure, Near decided to surprise me by setting up a meeting with the NPA chief at the time, Mr. Shuichi Aizawa, who I learned, before his promotion, participated as an active member in the Kira Task Force and even worked hand-in-hand alongside L. My first impressions of him were solid. A serious, hard-working man with guts. The first thing we did after introducing ourselves was discussing the events that had occured in the case's timeline. He provided me with information about their way of investigation before meeting L, the detective's own methods and Light's acting skills. Anyway, the thing is that Mr. Aizawa said during some point of our meeting that, since the 5th of December more or less, L had been investigating along with the Japanese Task Force at the Teito Hotel, very close to the police station itself. He didn't remember the exact number of the room though, which was logical. After all, it had been twelve years.

So here I was, sitting on the bed with the laptop turned on on my lap and a cup of hot, black coffee very close to me resting on the bedside table. The room really had nothing worth of praising; it just had a bathroom, a double bed, a small TV in front of said bed, a closet and two bedside tables with a lamp resting on one of them.

At the moment, I had managed to hack into the hotel's system and I was looking for the reservations made in the last five days. Seems like there was a hundred rooms in total occupied throughout the hotel. Surprisingly, I didn't find any under one of L's many aliases known to me or Watari's name. But... how curious... The screen showed me that the 23rd floor, the last floor, where six of the twelve total suites provided were left out of the reach of customers down for maintenance ever since the previous night. And today, 4th of December, the ICPO meeting was taking place, meaning that L will be announcing his participation in the chase of Kira. Coincidence? I don't think so...

I took a sip of my coffee. I wanted to ease my nerves before putting my plan in action. I had no idea whether the ICPO meeting had already started, but nevertheless it was almost 7.30 a.m. Perhaps I should go down to the lobby... I checked the reception's files once more before leaving and finishing off my coffee. Plus, I could use something to eat...

I turned off the laptop and went into the bathroom. Once I was over with my transformation routine, I got out of the room. The lobby resembled to be asleep. No one, but the two female receptionists, was there. Shrugging, I made my way over to the hotel's bar. Afterwards, I also went shopping. I bought a pair of leather gloves, a decent secondhanded laptop and the oldest phone I could find. Oh, and a pack of white plasticine too! Those should be enough.

I stopped by an empty park. Then, I called.

"Good afternoon, you are speaking with Noriko Takahashi, from the Teito Hotel's reception service. How may I help you?" Answered a feminine Japanese voice.

"Hello Noriko. I was wondering if the hotel has a room available for one person right now."

* * *

It was gonna start any minute now. I nervously ran a hand through my dark locks. The TV was turned on, as well as the laptop. The first one showed the news, while the laptop was tracing for the second time the 23rd floor of the hotel in search of another operative system. I checked my watch. How much longer do I have to wait...? I had always considered myself a patient woman, yet, I couldn't stand much longer till finally witnessing the confrontation.

The laptop issued a weak beep. The trace was over, this time with success. I grinned uncontrollably like a lunatic. It had only been about half a minute, but during said period of time, a computer had been turned on while its firewalls were fallen before they quickly recomposed themselves, successfully blocking the system and practically disappearing in a matter of seconds. If it wasn't for the constant tracing, I would've probably never located it. The other computer was inside suite number eight. I stopped the third trace and gazed at the TV. Nothing, no signs of L or the special broadcast.

My eyes fell onto the laptop again... _"What if...?"_ I asked myself with curiosity.

Before I could stop myself I had already typed those four letters into the browser. The reaction was immediate. Tens, maybe even hundreds of webs were displayed right before my eyes. I clicked on the first one, not really caring about the website itself, but just curious. The background was dark. It read:

**"The legend of Kira, the Savior. The hope he has brought to us is the one which will lead us to salvation. The evil will die underneath his judgment, all scum will suffer his wrath, and a new world will be won. You may enter the site if you only have good in your heart."**

I didn't bother to see further. It was disgusting how many people were already brain-washed. It was disgusting and ridiculous. I closed the website and deleted the browser history. I even felt ashamed that I had looked it up in the first place.

**_"We'd like to apologize for the interruption. As of now we're bringing you a live world wide broadcast from Interpol, ICPO."_** I heard. I turned my head so fast that I nearly sprained my neck. Massaging my neck, I focused my full attention on the TV.

Now, on the screen appeared on an image of a young man sitting behind an office desk, with a plate in front of him which read _"Lind L. Taylor"_. On the background was another image displaying the Interpol's emblem.

**_"I head the International Police Task Force which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as L."_**

What...? Nah, it couldn't be. This man wasn't L. He was nowhere close to the descriptions that Roger and Mr. Aizawa gave me. Plus, why would L show his face in a worldwide broadcast? No, this man was not L, I was certain of that. But then, why was he doing this...?

**_"Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history..."_ **Oh, God! Do I agree! L or not, I was starting to like this guy.

Lind L. Taylor kept talking, assuring Kira that he would find him and hunt him down. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes, thinking... Kira needs a face and a name to kill. Lind L. Taylor has exposed himself with both of them, although technically neither he nor L knew this. And now he's pressing Kira, almost provoking him... Why? Were they trying to goad him into making a misstep? Wait, no... No, no, no; he's not unconsciously almost provoking him, he's fully aware of what his doing! He's trying to make Light kill him! So that's your plan, L? A scapegoat?

**_"Kira, I've got a pretty good idea what your motivation might be and I can guess what you hope to achieve. However, what you're doing right now is _****_evil."_**

I tensed up. Suddenly I wondered how much patience Light had. My doubts were answered almost instantly when I saw Lind L. Taylor crying out in pain, clutching his chest, and finally collapsing, dead.

I raised my eyebrows and inhaled deeply. So... My deductions had been right. I mentally cheered a little for it, although I knew that I'd only been able to guess it accurately because of my advantage and all of my knowledge. On the other hand, I couldn't help but slightly pity the man, as well as feel upset by the actions of the real L. He had allowed that man to die... I sighed, rubbing my temples. What now?

Lind L. Taylor's body was removed, and then, the screen abruptly changed, showing a large, gothic L which I already knew too well.

_**"I had to test this just in case, but I never thought it would actually happen,"**_ Spoke a modified voice. I felt déjà-vu from the first time I spoke with Near. It was practically the same voice... _**"Kira, it seems you can kill people without having to be there in person. Listen to me, Kira. If you did indeed kill Lind L. Taylor, the man you just saw die on television, I should tell you that he was an inmate whose execution was schemed for today. That was not me. But I assure you L is real, **_**I ****do**** exist**_**.**_

_**"Now, try to kill me!"**_

My heartbeat increased in excitement. I felt a smile tugging in the corner of my lips, watching the confrontation with delight. I bet Light must be either in shock or madly frustrated. I mentally pictured him ripping pages of the Death Note angrily. It was hilarious... I smiled widely at the thought.

_**"What's the matter? Can't you do it?! ...Well Kira, seems like you can't kill me after all... So there are some people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint. Let me return the favor,"**_ Uh? _**"I'll tell you something that I think you'll find interesting. Although this was announced as a worldwide broadcast the truth is we're only broadcasting this in the Kanto region in Japan. I had planned to broadcast this message around the world until I find you, but it looks like that won't be necessary. I now know where you are."**_ I bit heavily my lip, still smiling. L was amazing! In just ten minutes he had proved the existence of Kira, verified that the heart attacks were indeed murders and Kira's location! He even deduced who the first victim was, and that it wasn't intended at first. My body quivered in excitement at the thought of working with a genius like him.

_**"To be completely honest with you, I never expected that things would go this well, but it won't be too long now before I am able to sentence you to death. Naturally, I'm very interested in how you are able to commit these murders without being present... But, I don't mind waiting a bit longer, you can answer all of my questions when I catch you.**_

_**"Let's meet again soon... **_**Kira.**_**"**_ And then, the screen went blank.

I breathed rapidly, motivated and almost euphoric. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to chill. _"For God's sake, Faith! You're twenty-three, stop acting like a teen fangirl!"_ Once I was calm enough, I took the laptop and settled it down on my lap. It was my turn now.

* * *

A popup window appeared on the screen of his laptop, displaying a message asking for permission to let an external device into the system.

_"Uh...?"_ He kneeled again in front of the laptop before reading through the release once more. It wasn't a virus or a spyware, but a common operative system. Equally curious and suspicious, he clicked and typed briefly, then waited a few minutes. The response was practically immediate. His hand came to rest underneath his bare chin for a moment before he stands up. He extracted a phone from the jeans' pocket and dialed.

"Watari, I need you to check something. It may be of importance."

* * *

The old gentleman dressed in a suit looked down both sides of the corridor before introducing the picklock to the lock. The door did not resist. Smoothly, he closed it behind himself before venturing a little further inside. One of the simplest and cheapest rooms. He checked to make sure no one was there. Exactly what he expected. However, what he was looking for was resting on top of the well-made bed. The laptop was hot due to recent use, and the intruder hadn't even bothered to close the windows showing the waiting response to access the other system. He frowned, canceling the hacking and searching through the computer system. Nothing. It had been cleaned off.

He was about to turn it off when a document's name on the desktop caught his eye. **"Read me."** Curious, he opened it. Once he was done with the short reading, he felt a lump in his throat. It couldn't be... Was this a warning or...? Wasting no time, he took out his phone and dialed back. He almost dropped the cellphone when no answer came.

* * *

Twisting my wrist slightly, the key made its work and let the door open silently for me. After closing the door smoothly, I locked it again, leaving the key inside. I felt like a stalker, but I needed as much time as possible before Mr. Wammy came back. When I heard somewhere further inside the suite a deep, monotone voice addressing the intruder, I jumped out of my skin.

"Watari, did you manage to find him?" I took a deep breath, before walking down the lighted corridor, towards where the voice had come. _"I'm gonna meet L, I'm really going to meet L..."_

I stood in front of the ajar door. A slight glow came from the dark inside. "Watari?" Gulping and taking one last deep breath, I finally found the courage to open the door wide. L was leaning in front of a computer, his back faced to me. I could only see a head of black hair above a crouching figure clothed in a white, baggy shirt and a pair of jeans.

"I am not Watari," I said with what I thought was an impassive voice. He turned around so quickly that I feared he would fall over his heels. I couldn't see his face due to the shadow casted by the screen's light… Well, my own face was lost in shadows right now. "Don't worry, though. I haven't done anything to him." Slowly, he rose to his feet. Wow, he was pretty tall...

"And who are you?" He asked with the same monotonous tempo.

"... Just someone who wants to help you." I answered carefully. I folded my arms in front of my chest while stepping inside the room. I stood at a good distance from him, the light of the computer illuminating my face's right side. I couldn't be sure, but I somehow knew his eyes never left me. L mirrored my position, allowing the left side of his own face to be illuminated as well. I gulped again, slightly shocked by his big, black eyes, staring back at me. He was just as they'd described him; tall but hunched, extremely pale and rather thin, with messy black hair loose in spiky tufts and big, dark eyes with pupils always dilated, calculating and observing everything.

"You must be mistaken, miss. This floor was fixed just yesterday. So why would you assume a client of the Teito Hotel would need the help of someone other than the hotel staff itself?"

"Don't play dumb with me, we will both waste precious time." I replied. "I know who you really are, L. Don't try to deny it. After all, you just addressed me as Watari. That, and the fact that you got this entire floor for yourself since the 3rd of December, when it was supposedly in maintenance, make it quite obvious too. By the way, I loved how you confronted Kira a few minutes ago. Bravo!"

"What do you want, miss? Unless you tell me, I'll be forced to ask you to leave my suite."

"I already told you; I want to help you." I took a step forward. "I want to help you hunt down Kira."

"If I were the detective L," He took a step forward as well, "Why would you assume I would allow you to assist me in my investigations?"

I chuckled. I looked straight into his eye to make my point. I needed to sound as confident as possible. "Above all reasons, because of two things. The first one is because I know I will benefit the investigation. I have good skills which you could use. After all, not many can say they have hacked and tracked down the world's greatest detective's computer, even if it was just for a few seconds. Those seconds have allowed me to find your exact location, haven't they?

"And secondly, but yet even more importantly, because I know your biggest secret, L. Lawliet." I said, attempting to sound as monotonous as him. His eyes narrowed a bit, and his lips parted slightly. I got him! "You know, I think it's quite ironic, as well as amusing, that you use your first name as your alias, yet it's still one of the biggest mysteries in the world."

"What makes you think that's my real name?" He asked, with a bit of emotion in his voice.

I couldn't stop myself from smiling a bit. "You've just admitted that you're the real L-"

"What makes you think L. Lawliet is my real name?" He asked again, this time, the emotion grew faintly. He still sounded impassive, though, if that was even possible. I put my poker face back on too.

"I don't think L. Lawliet is your real name, I _know_ it is your real name." I answered back. "Of course, if I'm indeed mistaken, I suppose you won't mind if I mention to someone else said name?" His lack of response was enough. I sighed. "But I won't do that. I don't want to, so I won't, as long as you don't force me to do something we both would regret." Of course, I was bluffing here, quite a whopping lie. I would never expose L's real name, but he doesn't need to know that. "C'mon, L. There's no point in denying the truth now."

A few minutes passed as I watched how he pressed his thumbnail to his mouth… Okay, I'll admit that image was awkward... Very awkward indeed. I lifted my gaze back to his eyes, trying hard not to stare at his thumb. He spoke again. "What are your demands for keeping silent about this matter?" He asked.

I frowned. "I don't want money, if that's what you are implying. As I said before, —I want to investigate Kira with you and hunt him down."

"May I ask what motives could possibly drive a young woman such as you to desire the persecution of a mass murderer?" He asked, this time he was the one who took another step forward.

I did the same before responding. "I have my own reasons. However, you're greatly intelligent, as I observed during the broadcasting. I'm a young woman who wants to persecute someone. And that someone happens to be a murderer, a _mass_ murderer. I'm sure you can deduce by yourself what my motives are." I answered, trying to avoid a direct response. Luckily... and suspiciously, it seemed to work.

"... Is that your only demand?"

"Now that you mention it, it's not," I answered before I could hold my tongue. But, what exactly did I want to demand...?

"I am awaiting, miss..." He said.

"This investigation will last months, probably even some years..." I couldn't think of anything that I need right now! Faith, think! This may be your only chance to demand something...! I unconsciously remembered my time with Near and, in consequence, started to compare both him and L. Also, what Mr. Aizawa had told me... Hmm... "We'll need to eventually trust each other. So, I demand to have a right of privacy both inside this hotel, as well as outside. If I need or want to go somewhere, I don't need your permission to do so.

"Also, if I need to buy any supplies or devices that I consider will be of help to the investigation, I want you to fund them in case I don't have enough money to do so. I'll finance my personal expenses and needs.

"And lastly, I want to be able to have access to all the data related to the case as well as hearing all of your upcoming theories, meaning I don't want to be left behind. There will be no secrets between us concerning the investigation." I took a deep breath once I was finished. Wow... I actually had quite a few useful things to demand.

"It's done then."

I resisted the urge to smile. "However," Oh, of course, there's a _but_. "I want to make some demands from you, myself."

I nodded. "Go ahead."

"First of all, I won't restrict you to come in and out of this hotel, but every time you want to be outside this suite Watari must be with you and make sure you return here safely. Unless it comes to a prolonged journey, and unless I have been previously informed of said journey, your trips outside the hotel will be limited to a time period of twenty to thirty minutes, and within fifteen to twenty minutes inside the hotel. The suite provides four different bedrooms, and one of those bedrooms will become yours once you move in here with me.

"Do you agree with my terms so far?" He asked me, sounding almost interested. Probably faking it. Oh, God, how did he remind me of Near!

"So far, yes." Did I have any choice? I didn't really like the idea of being followed by Mr. Wammy, but I suppose I could live with that and the time limits. And moving in with L was actually an advantage to me. If I gained his trust it would be easier to try to protect him from Light, wouldn't it? Besides, I would learn from L himself! What more could I ask for? "Please, continue."

"Secondly, I will need to make sure you are not either a spy or a sleuth. Your computers, telephones, and any other electronic devices you may own will be fully searched and monitored. And I will be questioning you until my suspicions are completely cleared."

Then you will never stop! "Of course."

"I will need you to sign some formalities in order to protect my identity as well. I'll make Watari redact a contract, two perhaps, so that you can sign it." I nodded. "And finally..."

He made a pause. What? Couldn't he say it already? "... I want to know your name."

I blinked. Oh... I sighed. "It's only fair, isn't it?" He didn't answer. "My name is Hail. Hail Milles."

He didn't react to that either, just nibbled his thumb again. I watched him, expectant. "Hail Milles..." He murmured. Suddenly, a phone rang. I looked away from his eyes, instead focusing my gaze on his baggy jeans. A faint light shined through the left front pocket. I looked back at him. He was still nibbling his thumb absently. Seriously, hadn't he noticed the phone?

I was about to tell him, when the sound stopped. Well, if it's important they will call again, won't they?

I started to walk up to him. Once we were close enough, but still keeping our safe distance, I extended my hand. He looked at it as if it was the strangest thing to ever occur to him. "So... do we have a deal?"

He moved his eyes, so now they were focused on my own. I felt uncomfortable. Even more than when Near did this when we first met. I wanted him to stop looking at me like that. Gosh, they were so alike... It was almost as if I was back at the old —or rather the future— SPK's headquarters. Finally, L shook my hand, still looking at me.

"Yes… seems like we do."

Just then, we heard the front door burst open. "Ryuzaki! You were right, this is..." The old man stopped by the door frame, definitely not expecting to see me there, shaking L's hand nonetheless.

"Watari, please, calm down. Everything has been cleared out and is now under control." He said while releasing my hand and walking up to Mr. Wammy.

"But Ryuzaki, if this woman is the one who did it, that means..." The poor old man said, the worry and suspicion evident in his voice. I started to feel slightly guilty for putting him in such stress.

"That she knows my real name, yes. Ms. Hail Milles here was kind enough to blackmail me with such information," What?! That wasn't my intention...! Well, maybe a little. I bit my bottom lip. "But do not worry. She will assist us during this case in exchange for her silence. We have already established verbally our terms in the business."

Mr. Wammy looked from me to his protégé, clearly distrustful as well as confused. Poor man! Seriously, my guilt was starting to be a pain. I walked up to them.

"Watari, I assure you I mean no harm to either L or yourself. I just want to help with the investigation and catch Kira." He stared deeply into my brown eyes. "I'd also like to apologize for any trouble or distress I have caused you. Believe me when I say it wasn't my intention." I said sincerely, trying to make him see that I really meant it. My only answer was the silence.

"I suggest you go make a hot drink and ease your nerves, Watari. Afterwards I'd like you to accompany Ms. Milles and help her move all of her belongings to this suite."

"… Yes, Ryuzaki." Mr. Wammy gave a little nod, then made his way to, I supposed, the kitchen. L turned to me.

"Ms. Milles, once all of your goods have been transferred to your new room I would like to start your questioning."

I thought about protesting against it, but Near was practically a little white clone of the man before me, so their demeanor probably was the same too. That wasn't a suggestion, but a subtle order. Great... "Sure. Now, if you excuse me," With that, I stepped past him and made my way over to the kitchen.

Mr. Wammy was sitting at a white table; in his hands was a steaming cup. It smelled like green tea. I knocked lightly on the wall. He looked up. "I will be finished in a brief minute, miss." His tone was polite, but nothing more. I ventured further and sat opposite him.

"Don't worry, we are in no hurry." I moistened my lips. "Mind some company?"

"Please, miss." He answered, still politely. I asked myself if he really did mind. We spent the rest of the time in silence, not comfortably, but not awkwardly either. When he was done, Mr. Wammy got up and put the now empty cup inside the sink. He turned to me. "Shall we?" I nodded, and we exit the suite together, with no more words exchanged between us.

We had just reached the hotel's lobby, Mr. Wammy already striding towards the entrance, when I spoke up. "Uhm... Watari," He turned around, stopping his pace.

"Something the matter, miss?" He asked.

"I, uh, actually... Well, turns out I'm also lodged in the hotel. It won't be necessary for us to use a car." I confessed. Why I felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable, I have no clue. But I know I didn't want them to discover that I had rented an apartment since October. They would ask questions, and the more they found, the weirder it would seem. Therefore, the most difficult thing would be for me to gain their trust. They'd certainly try to find out what I was hiding. Plus, technically I wasn't living there anymore since I moved to the Teito.

He didn't respond to my statement for a moment. Then he just nodded. "Very well, lead the way then, if you please." I nodded and turned on my heels, once again walking towards the elevator.

Once we had collected my stuff, we rode up again to the top floor. I didn't have too many things anyway, so only needed one ride.

"That was brief…" L commented dryly from the lounge as he saw us coming through the door and the small parlour. I didn't say anything, and neither did Watari, although I didn't understand why.

"This way, please." I followed the old gentleman, passing by the room in which I first found L, and down a long corridor. We stopped close to the end of it, in front of three doors. I looked to Mr. Wammy. "Now choose one, please. They are all actually strikingly similar." I glance back at the doors, finally choosing the one in the middle. After entering, I almost gaped. The room was _huge_. At the center, positioned against the wall, was a king sized bed with perfect, cream sheets. On top of them were some cushions and pillows, as well as a simple woolen, white blanket carefully folded at the end of the bed. At the left of the door were some sliding doors that opened onto a small balcony, providing me with a marvelous view of Tokyo. Opposite the windows, at the other side of the bed, was a door, presumably leading to a bathroom. The room was supplied with a desk, two lamps, a good-sized library, an overly spacious closet that probably led to Narnia, a plasma TV, a minibar and several plugs.

Then a certain eldery someone had to clear his throat, snapping me out of my daydream. "I trust you found everything likeable, miss?" He asked. My jaw almost dropped. Had I detected a slight mixture of sarcasm _and_ amusement coming from his voice?

I grinned. "It's good…" I stated simply. I had hoped to make the old man chuckle, or at least smile; however, he just bowed his head and stepped in, setting my belongings down gently by the bed.

"If you need any assistance don't hesitate to contact me, miss." He said. I couldn't find any emotion but forced politeness in his voice, so I just nodded and formulated a small thank you. Once I was alone, I didn't hesitate in doing one of the most cliche things and launch myself onto the soft, comfortable bed, giggling. This was awesome...

* * *

"Very well, Ms. Milles. We'll start with some simple questions about yourself. Afterwards, we'll just see where your answers lead us to and, consequently, how we may proceed." L stated. The young man was crouching on an armchair, sitting opposite of my spot and with his knees pulled up to his chest. He resembled a small child, making him look even younger. L certainly didn't appear to be twenty-four, but I knew better. He hadn't fixed his gaze onto mine, but he was intently staring at the cup of piping hot coffee and the sugar lumps which he dropped into the black liquid. With this last one, I counted twelve. _Ugh_... L rested his hands on his knees and finally met my gaze.

"Hail Milles, when and where were you exactly born?" He asked, leaving no details aside.

"28th of January, 1983, Pennsylvania. USA." I answered, feeling like a robot.

"Twenty-three...," He muttered... Now I felt like an _awkward_ robot. "What are the names and occupations of your parents?"

_"Aaron Millers, FBI agent. Jocelyn Flores, caseworker. Currently raising my eleven-year-old self." _I couldn't help but think. I pressed my lips in a thin line, forcing my eyes to water faintly, just as I had so many times rehearsed. A couple of seconds later, I tried to look normal again. "Adam Milles and Josie Falcon, they have no occupation."

"And why would this be?" He asked absently, sounding even bored, while stirring the coffee with a teaspoon.

"Because the dead cannot work." I responded, trying to sound bitter. L stopped moving, his hand holding the teaspoon frozen. He looked up to me once more.

"I am sorry for your loss," He said. I took a deep breath, remaining silent. He started to stir the coffee again, this time not looking away from me. "When did they die?"

"November, 30th." I answered, running a hand through my hair.

"May I inquire what the circumstances of their death were?"

"I don't know." I said, still trying to keep my voice bitter.

"You don't know?" He asked, his eyes staring fixedly on my own.

"No, their bodies were never found. I just assumed the worst..." I answered before he could question further.

"I see…" Was all he said. "Do you have siblings or any other relatives?" He left the teaspoon on the table and started to sip the coffee.

"I'm... was their only child. As for the relatives, the answer is the same. Both of my parents were only childs too, and my grandpas died when I was little." I said.

"Hmm…" L left the half-empty cup back onto the table. His hands returned to the top of his knees. "Why are you in Japan? Of course, I'm assuming you live in the USA."

"I was on vacation, planned to try living on my own for a couple of years or so. I've always liked Japan, and I wanted a change of lifestyle, so I came here," I said. "When I found out that my parents had disappeared, I decided to stay and start investigating." I didn't go into further details. I'd wait to see what he'd ask.

"Kira seems to target only criminals; all of his victims were accused and sentenced with solid proofs. Knowing this, would you mind telling me what your parents' occupation was?" He questioned calmly. Shit, I hadn't thought of that! Quickly, Faith, make up something!

"They were entrepreneurs, not chiefs but with good positions in the same multinational. They were accused of fraud and embezzlement." I said with a smaller voice, trying to sound uncomfortable with the matter.

"Were they guilty?" He sounded even curious. I wondered if this time that curiosity was genuine. I pretended to be offended.

"Of course not! They would've never done anything like that, I'm sure!" He sipped the coffee again, and left the cup.

"Your faith..." I tensed slightly. I started to rub my arms, trying to mislead him into thinking that I was cold, "... in their innocence is admirable, but I have to ask, were they brought to justice?" I nodded. "And which was the sentence?" My silence seemed to work as an answer.

"There was never a sentence. They disappeared before there could be one." I responded. If I told him otherwise, he would be able to search for the reports of their trial. I couldn't allow that. This was already very risky.

L brought his thumb to his lips. I shivered. Suddenly I had the feeling I wouldn't like this as much as I previously thought.

* * *

Much later, when we were done with the questioning, I let myself fall dead against the welcoming mattress. I closed my eyes, remembering…

* * *

_"Yes... Perfect, thank you very much." I hung up, starting to walk back to the hotel and my room. Once inside, and after getting out of my disguise, I put on the gloves and started to work on the security cameras which monitored the lobby and the reception. When the hacking was done I programmed them to pause themselves for ten minutes before they started to work again._

_Right after my fingers left the keyboard, I immediately sprinted for the door and walk down the corridor, trying not to run and draw attention to my person. Once I reached the entrance a minute had already passed. No one except for me. Behind the reception desk was one woman instead of two, who I assumed was Noriko. It was only the two of us. Good. I kept walking until I was in front of the desk._

_"Good afternoon, miss, how may I help you?" She asked me with a bright smile._

_"Good afternoon. I have a room reserved under the name Joey."_

_"Let me check it, please. It will only take a minute." She started to type faster than I would have given her credit for. She looked up, smiling. "Your room is ready for you, Joey-san. 1st floor, room 73." She turned around and opened a drawer, then she faced me again handing me a key and a card. "Here, you can open your room with either of these keys. Would you like me to order anything for you?"_

_"Yes, could you call a cab for me, please? I need to go collect some things." Her smile twitched a bit due the weird task._

_"Of course, Joey-san. We are having some minor issues with our telephone service," Tell me about it, I'm the cause of those issues! "But I will go to the office and call for one. Wait here, please." I nodded, and with a smile, she left._

_I checked my watch. Five minutes left. Wasting no time, I literally jumped over the desk and opened the drawer which kept the key I was looking for. I hadn't been observing the reception since I came here for nothing! Extracting the white plasticine I bought earlier, I quickly pressed both sides of the key, successfully leaving the print. As fast as my nerves allowed me to, I cleaned any plasticine left on the key and put it back in its place. I jumped back in front of the desk just in time. Noriko came in, still smiling and unsuspicious of me._

_"Your cab will arrive in a brief moment, Joey-san. Is there anything else you'd like to ask for?" She asked politely._

_"No, thank you very much." After a quick goodbye I went to my new room. Once I had closed the door I checked my watch again. This time I smiled, and even chuckled, relieved. I still had thirteen seconds left._

* * *

_"Wait here, please." I said to the cabbie. He nodded while I exited the cab. Once the copy of the suite's key was completed I got back into the car. "Back to the Teito, please."_

* * *

_Mr. Wammy opened the document. Four single words were written._

**"L. Lawliet.**

**Quillish Wammy"**

_His heart started to pound furiously. He called back to L, but no response came…_

* * *

I can't believe everything had worked… What a day…

* * *

**A.N/: ****T****hank you everyone who has read, favorited, followed and reviewed.**

**I _really_ hope everyone was in character... If you have any doubts about anything, don't hesitate to ask me. **

**Please, don't forget to review! All opinions are welcomed.**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	7. Suspicion

**_VI. Suspicion_**

He couldn't deny it; Hail Milles intrigued him.

He had checked her name right after she had left with Watari, and nothing came up onto the laptop screen. No birth certificate, medical, police or academic records, private account on a social network... Nothing. It seemed like she had shown up out of thin air. He heard the door opening. Through the corner of his eye, L spotted both Hail Milles and Watari, their hands busy carrying bags. "That was brief…" Surprisingly, no answer came to him.

After questioning her, L was able to tell more of the young woman, yet the number of questions unanswered still was abnormally large.

The first thought that came to his mind was how out of place she seemed. They had spoken in English. Her voice carried a distinctive American accent, nevertheless he was certain she must had former knowledge of Japanese; otherwise, it was very unlikely she would have been able to find him or understand so much about Kira. His guess concerning her age was between eighteen and twenty-five years old, personally he thought she was twenty-one. She proved him wrong that time.

She wasn't a Kira supporter; unless she was an exceptional actress, that much was obvious. But her determination wasn't something only driven by hunger of justice; very few people ever are so severe when it comes to deeming such a debatable concept as what is justice. No, it was something much more personal. Before he even asked Ms. Milles about it, he had already deducted Kira must have murdered someone close to her, consequently making her take such measures as to hunt him down herself. A close relative, as a sibling, or a lover perhaps were his surmises. Her late answer proved him right this time.

But then, a question came to the surface. Ms. Milles' loved one must have been killed between the 28th of November and the 3rd of December, since it's the day she was hosted in the Teito Hotel. The day he or she, supposedly in this case, the day_ they_ were killed must have been the day she also decided it would be more beneficial for her to have contact with him or the Japanese police. However, all of the knowledge she had showed off about him, the most important his true name, forced him to think that there was no possible way she had been able to investigate him and Kira at the same time, and have found out his identity and exact location within seven days. Ms. Milles was quite smart, yes, but not that much. Therefore, and increasing his suspicions, it was safe to assume that she had been investigating him before Kira's appearance. Also, she had purposely made her presence known while trying to hack into his system, so later L himself would track her back and send Watari after her, succesfully leaving him on his own. Hmm… Pretty witty, he had to give her that.

This led L to another question. Assuming he was right, which was more likely too, was it conceivable that Hail Milles was actually a P.I working for one of the many enemies his name had conceded him through the years and solved cases? She had avoided most of his questions, in a more or less subtle way each time.

It was a fifty-fifty chance. And due to this per centage, L hadn't hesitated to offer her a room and share his suite, so he could keep a closer eye on her.

And what had made him especially suspicious of Ms. Milles were two facts. Firstly, she didn't ask for any selfish reward, such as a lifetime income, or any kind of physical good as it could have been a great house. No, instead she had asked for a place by his side. She would have a great amount of compromised knowledge concerning him, so he needed to make sure that knowledge didn't leak to the wrong hands... Nor to the right ones, for that matter. And secondly, only two people in the world knew his true identity; Watari and himself. They had never met her up until less than an hour ago, and there was no record of any kind with his name, so how could she know it? He had to find out.

Now, on the other hand, she had proven herself too. Besides former Japanese knowledge, she also had a previous training in advanced computing. Her worked musculature told L that she could also be a good dancer or sportswoman, probably a good fighter due to the small bruises on her wrists, forearms and knuckles. As for any other abilities she claimed to have, he could only wait to see. L dared to affirm that Hail Milles was a much more passionate woman than she tried to let on.

But, during their confrontation, she had tried to sound emotionless. No matter how hard she tried to make her breaths so constant that they looked too controlled, her pupils had been dilated all the time due to her excitement and the rush of adrenaline. These small details made him wonder if she truly could be his ally. Only three times he had been able to tell that she was trying to openly lie. Yet, in its most she had done a fair decent job covering up her history. Not enough to convince him, though… She was a good liar, but he was better.

He'd also been a little surprised to see how eager she had looked while trying to make Watari believe she meant no harm to either of them. And that time L was sure of how truthful her words were. It settled him down a bit. Perhaps he would be able to manipulate her moral and emotions to take his side.

Her family was a riddle as well. L had been certain that he would've been able to find the court record of her parents, or at least some comp, but there was nothing. Not even in the well-known American company that she had indicated. The closest he came to find out something was some news concerning a scandal of fraud and said company.

The only plausible explanations he found were, either someone —most likely the own Hail Milles— had made sure all type of data about her and her past had been eliminated or, on the other hand, Hail Milles simply lied… Again. This last option seemed more likely for about an 89 %. But, in any of the cases, for what purpose? What is her ulterior motive?

L registered the footsteps of his loyal friend coming to stop behind the armchair he was crouching on.

"She was hosted in the hotel, Ryuzaki. As you suspected it… What should we do?"

"...Nothing. For the mean time we will just coexist with Ms. Milles and observe her. Make sure she is no threat and that she won't be a burden for the investigation. Once Kira has been caught, we'll deal with our new... acquaintance."

A sigh sounded at his back. "I trust your judgement, Ryuzaki." He heard Watari starting to walk back the way he had come. "Oh, by the way, during Ms. Milles questioning I installed all the cameras and bugs successfully, as you required."

"I know. Thank you, Watari." L responded while opening up again the images that the cameras showed of the young woman currently sleeping.

He bit his thumb harder, still gazing at the screen. The only thing that was for sure was that Hail Milles intrigued him. A lot. She had managed to get part of his attention. And that's also what made him suspect her more.

* * *

December 9th. It was already night time, pretty late actually. And here I was, sitting indian style on the cool floor, screen light paling my face, bloodshot eyes and with a second cup of coffee in my right hand. Crouched to my left was the most annoying person I'd ever had the misfortune to cross paths with. Yes, even more annoying than Near. And, of course, I mean the one I considered —and, why deny it, still consider— my role model, professionally speaking. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the one and only detective L, the young, sweet-toothed sleuth. Okay, okay, I'm done with mental sarcasm, but if you were in my shoes, you'd understand my bad mood. Leaving aside my complaints, I focused on the computer screen showing us the homicide headquarters of the NPA. At the very back of the image I spotted Mr. Yagami sitting behind a desk, with fingers criss-crossed below his chin and listening intently to the reports the officers were giving.

I was listening intently too, trying to learn as much Japanese and gain as much experience as possible. So, 14 people claiming to either know or have seen Kira and 21 claiming to be Kira. I had already determined the victims' report on my own, thanks to my tiny advantage… Okay, thanks to my huge advantage.

Through the corner of my eye, I watched L moving his right hand, which previously had been resting under his chin, towards the screen and pressing a finger onto the microphone. "That information is extremely relevant for us," He said. I looked at him, and as usual, he ignored me and continued to talk. "It suggests that given the times of death our suspect could very well be a student." The agents turned around, looking at the camera and fully listening now. "Given the fact that Kira is only killing criminals, I think it's safe to assume he's driven by a very idealistic notion of justice. It's hardly possible he may even be aspiring to be some sort of god like figure, which lead us to think the individual has a very childish concept of right and wrong." The men started to mutter quietly and frown.

"Of course, this is my speculation at this point," He added, "But still, I recommend you re-exam any assumption as, whoever our suspect is, could be a student. We must consider every possibility in order to finding and arresting Kira. Please, continue with the report." He lifted his finger from the button, making it rest now underneath his chin once more. I kept staring at him.

"Hmm… Oh, right." Mr. Yagami's voice snapped me out of my own day-dream. "Does anyone else have something they'd like to add?"

"Uh… Yes, sir." One of the youngest cops, probably only a couple of years older than myself, said while raising his hand and standing up in a rather sheepish way. Poor thing, thinking he was going to be eaten alive... Hmm, maybe he was right after all.

"What is it, Matsuda?" Asked Mr. Yagami.

"Well, I'm not saying this to support Kira or to condone the murders, but... in the last few days through the world, but especially here in Japan, we've observed a decrease in the number of violent crimes committed." His statement was completely true, and it was followed by another round of murmurs. I frowned too... No matter what he said, this Matsuda fellow still managed to sound as a Kira supporter. I narrowed my eyes while looking at him. I didn't want to judge him but, it was pretty difficult for me not to do so... For me, Kira was evil, nothing else. And to be honest, I doubt anything would ever make me change my extremist mind about the matter.

"Well, I suppose it makes sense. We suspected something like that would happen." Answered diplomatically Mr. Yagami while crossing again his fingers and resting them on his face. "Anything else?"

The young cop, Matsuda, sat down again. No one spoke up. "Then that's our report for today. L?"

The detective pressed again the mic's button. "Thank you everyone, I feel we're one step closer to finding Kira. Before I go I'm afraid I have one additional request to make. This is directed to the teams investigating the victims, TV news and internet. I would like you to go back and take a closer look to the exact ways the victims' identities were made public. In particular, I want to know if photos of the victims were made available to the public in Japan. Thank you." With that, the meeting came to an end. I looked at my watch. 23.36. Seeing I wasn't very tired yet, I didn't move from my spot. I focused my attention on L. He hadn't moved either, his thumb now resting on his bottom lip.

"So..." I said.

"Hmm... What is it now, Ms. Milles?" He asked, his finger still on his mouth. I controlled myself not to roll my eyes. He always does that.

"If I remember correctly L, we agreed that you would share with me every theory you may have concerning the case." I answered.

"Yes, we did. And we also agreed that you would refrain yourself from calling me by my real name. Is that what you wanted? To revise our contract?"

I scoffed, annoyed. "I still don't understand what the big deal is, we're alone so why can't I call you by your name?"

"The big deal, as you put it, is that I'm not disposed to risk any leaking about any kind of information regarding my person, Ms. Milles. Besides, you agreed to comply with my terms, so I would be quite disappointed if you wouldn't follow a stipulated clause of our contract." He rose to his feet and started to walk out of the room. I followed, annoyed as hell.

"First of all, you never wrote down or specified in the contract that I wasn't able to call you by your name if we were alone, it only said that everytime we weren't alone and, or in this suite, I'd have to name you by the alias you'd indicate me. And secondly, you told me not to call you L after I signed the contract, and you only did it verbally, so it doesn't have the same value!" I protested while following his hunched back through the corridors, until reaching the kitchen.

"Is that all, then?" He asked again while taking a small plate and a bowl filled with cherries.

I opened my mouth to answer, but I closed it again... What had I wanted to tell him before he distracted me? Ugh! That's why he's even more obnoxious than Near! The white-haired detective didn't try to mess with my mind for every single thing I wanted to talk about, while L did it everytime he wanted to change the subject or just was bored and decided to use me as his personal toy! That unsufferable dickhead! He went then to the living room, passing by my side as if I were a ghost. And, of course, being the stubborn fool I am, I followed. He crouched on an armchair in front of a pile of papers and began to eat. Meanwhile I was glaring holes in the side of his skull.

He was about to eat another cherry when his hand froze in mid-air. Only moving his head to look at me, he said. "If you're done with watching how I satisfy my hunger and are not going to give any beneficial suggestion to quicken up the case's pace, I'd prefer if you would stop standing there, Ms. Milles. It can be unnerving..." He then ate the cherry. Heat started to irradiate from my face, and I'm sure I had turned a lovely crimson color. You little...!

I took a few deep breathes before saying. "Why didn't you tell me before the meeting that you suspect Kira is a student?"

He swallowed another cherry before answering my question, not bothering to look at me again. "I didn't tell you anything about my suspicions simply because you would hear about them during the meeting, therefore I didn't think of it as something of importance."

I sighed while pinching the bridge of my nose. "Well, I don't care,_ L_, you should have told me the moment you began to suspect it, if only to take me and my own opinion into consideration." I scoffed again, "Not to mention that we specified in the contract that you would do so..." I looked up again, to find that pair of huge eyes this time staring at my face. I sighed. "Look, I don't plan on us being co-workers, buddies or anything of the sort all of sudden, but the least I expect is that we can actually work together in this. Not... this; you doing all the work, I being a mere spectator. Even if I can't help much, I refuse to do nothing. No, just… no."

"... I'll have that in mind." He said rather softly. I wasn't so sure about it... I didn't say anything else. Shaking my head slightly, I went back to the kitchen. Seeing L eating reminded me that I hadn't had dinner yet.

About twenty minutes later I was sitting at the table, ready to enjoy my delicious steak, when the sound of soft knocking reached my ears. Looking at my side, I found that Watari had arrived from the police station, and was standing at the doorway. I smiled. "What's up, old man?"

The ghost of a smile appeared underneath his white-greyish moustache. He sat opposite me. "Mind some company?"

"Please, sir." A gentle twinkle in his eye told me he was remembering too the first time we talked after I confronted L. You could say that our relationship now was on pretty good terms. We were not like, super close or anything, but we definitely were comfortable enough to keep each other company and even joke a bit. The last few days, after being cast aside several times by L, I found myself with literally nothing productive to do, so I spent half of the time doing research on my own and the other half with Mr. Wammy, helping him out a bit with certain chores, like cleaning or cooking. After two days ignoring his objections, he gave up and allowed me to spend my… free time, to put it in someway, with him.

Once I managed to convince him of sharing my dinner, seeing that he hadn't eaten either yet, we made a bit of small talk.

"… I understand why you're reluctanct to trust me, but even so…" I said all of sudden after a couple of minutes in silence, making him look up from his plate. I sighed. "It's just… I wish I could do something to show you that I'm only interested in helping with the case because, in all honesty, the whole paranoid thing is getting old. I understand it, but it's... tiring…" I looked up to him, giving a little smirk. "Sorry… I guess I needed to say it aloud."

Mr. Wammy held my gaze, without giving me a reply. After I set our now empty plates in the sink beside the frying pan, he spoke. "If you really are trustworthy, Ms. Milles, then time itself will prove it. Try to think nothing of it." Mr. Wammy's voice was soft, neutral, almost assuring. I looked back at him, spotting his poker face. I nodded slowly. _"Or maybe time will finally show why I'm here."_

* * *

For the third time, I almost hit the table with my head. I shifted a yawn and rubbed my eyes tiredly. Last night I didn't sleep much. You see, L came into my room at 3.00 in the morning, telling me that I had to collect my things so we could move to another hotel. Naturally, I ignored him and continued to sleep, or rather try to. Upon seeing that Watari's attempts to get me out of bed were futile as well, L decided it would be a good idea to splash cold water in my face, the jerk. Oh, how would I have loved to give him payback… He told me that, since I had been able to locate him quite easily, from now on we would switch hotels every few days.

And if priving me from sleeping more than three and a half hours wasn't enough, he asked me to join him for breakfast at 7.00… I didn't know if L actually had something important to tell me, or if he was only messing with me. Nevertheless, curiosity got —once again— the best of me, so I joined him. And he was late, it was already 7.02.

_"Patience is a virtue Faith, patience is a virtue..." _

_"Yeah, one I'm about to lose with this man." _

_"It's only two minutes past the time." _

_"Oh, shut up."_

Well, the voice inside my head is a royal pain in the butt. Fifteen minutes passed until I decided to get up from the kitchen table; time to go back to dreamland! I was in the process of trying to yawn while keeping my balance from reaching a "walking dead" level as I placed one foot in front of the other when a voice, _his_ voice, startled me. "Ms. Milles,"

I jumped a little, opening my eyes and closing my mouth as quickly as I could. Nevermind, my moment was ruined when while turning around my right shoulder hit the wall, making me wince. _"She's got style, she's got grace, she's Miss United States..."_ That inner voice kept chanting... Ugh.

"L..." I growled. There he was, with his baggy clothes and dark eyes. Surely my grey leggings and black sweater made a good contrast with him.

"Where are you going?"

"To bed."

"Unless you suffer loss of short term memory, you'd remember I asked you to join me for breakfast."

"I _do_ remember."

"Then why haven't you met me?"

"Because you didn't show up."

"I did-"

"You didn't."

"Ms. Milles, I did wait for you-"

"No."

"If you'd let me-"

"Goodbye." With that, I turned around and started to walk down the corridor; I wanted to be the one with the last word, and a dramatic exit was just the perfect way to get back my pride.

"You are the one who didn't show up." I stopped dead in my tracks; I could almost see my right lower eyelid twitching. I turned around.

"_I _didn't show up?" My bare feet began to move, striding towards him, who seemed unfazed by both my whole presence and the effect his words had on me. "I waited for you fifteen minutes in the kitchen, and not once did you come. I've had less than the average hours of sleep required for any human body to properly function, so don't you tell me this is my fault!" My back was tense, as was my jaw. I was in a very bad mood, so he better watch his next words.

"I was in the lounge." My brows lowered themselves in confussion. "I assumed that you'd deduct as much, since I rarely go into the kitchen. Seems like I should have specified it." I closed my eyes while taking a very deep breath; I didn't want to find out the insult that surely was there somewhere. I mean, can you blame me? The kitchen is where most of the world's population eat! Alright, just calm down and focus on the case. Best detective in the world, catch Kira... Got it. I opened my eyes and almost took a step back; during my tantrum I hadn't realized how close I had walked to L. He was practically breathing down my nose. Hunched he was a little taller than me, almost the same height, but I was sure that if he would just stand straight, he'd gain a couple of inches. I swallowed, staring into his eyes.

"Yes, you should have." I was _so not_ backing down.

"I apologize then." He answered unconcerned, looking straight back to me. Liar. "Shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and walked back to the lounge; restraining a sigh, I followed. This better be worth it... At least I hadn't blushed.

He sat down on a crimson wing chair while I settled down indian-style on the white three-seat sofa in front of him. Separating us was a low coffee table, supporting a wide range of dishes with any kind of sweet fruits and biscuits imaginable; before I could help it, my stomach roared in anticipation at the sight of the food. "Feel free to eat as much as you want."

I looked once at him, twice at the fruit, and finally bent my body to reach for an apple. Its appealing red skin reminded me of Snow White and the poison within it. I took a bite; L watched me, unmoving and with his arms crossed lazily as they rested on his knees. "So," I paused, swallowing. "What did you want to talk about?"

L then put his thumb into his mouth, and I tried not to stare. Did he realize how uncomfortable he made people, or just didn't care? "What would you do at this point if you were Kira?"

I coughed as a small piece of apple nearly went down my larynx. "Beg your pardon?"

"What would be your next step if you were Kira?" He asked, running his thumb over his bottom lip. I frowned, momentarily forgetting my food. What would I do...? I looked back to L, who was waiting for an answer. One thing was for sure; everything the detective in front of me did or said was for a reason. Gazing back to my legs, I started to think over his question. The investigation was at a dead end; the police was following L's orders, searching for all the victims whose name and face were shown to the public, yet that was all. No one had made any advances. On the other hand, Light wouldn't wait for L to catch him. He must be planning something... Perhaps, a way to find L and kill him, but how...?

Eventually, I asnwered him. "I would try to find you and kill you."

He leaned a little forward. "How?" That's what I asked myself. I inhaled. Kira needs a name and a face, but had L already deducted that much...? I could only assume so; at the very least he must suspect it. Anyway, I had to play my part.

"You wanted to know if images of the victims were released to the public, didn't you?" I didn't wait for an answer, "Given that and the circumstances of Lind L. Taylor's death, who was showing his face, I guess that —if I were Kira— I'd try to see your face so I'd be able to kill you."

"But how would you know it is me?"

I deepened my frown while bitting my bottom lip. I couldn't tell him about the shinigami eyes... And saying "lucky guess" was out of question. Wait... The answer was literally in front of me! I got it. "I'd try to make you take a misleading step, just like you did during the TV broadcast. Perhaps make you do or say something only L would do... or know." Whoo, point for Miss United States!

L made a _"hmm"_ noise, playing with his thumb again as he made his toes wiggle too... Okay, that was new. Well. "That sounds logical." Yes it does! I couldn't help but smile; I hadn't made an idiot of myself. "However," ...Darn it. "You didn't tell me how would you find me. A shame." My smile disappeared. Silence fell upon us, and not knowing what else to do or say, I continued to eat my forgotten apple.

Would he suspect me because of my answer? I wondered while taking the last bite. But what was more important, why was he asking me to think like Kira? What was his point? ...I had no clue. Carefully, I left the core inside an almost empty bowl, which lodged some pits.

"Well, nevermind. Ms. Milles, changing the subject, could you please read this?" L asked, holding out for me some paper sheets. I reached across the table and set them down onto my lap. I frowned again.

"This is the report of yestarday's meeting."

"Very observant, although I was hoping for something more accurate." I glared at him, my eyebrow raised. Focusing back on the report, I read it again.

"It states the information gathered about the 23 criminals murdered yesterday; one each hour evenly. It supposes a sudden change in the pattern." I said.

"Precisely, Ms. Milles." I looked back at him curiously, my head a little crooked to the side. No matter how much we kept our gaze contest, L refused to elaborate. I'd have to figure out whatever he wanted me to on my own. Stealing another glance at the report, I didn't find anything outstanding; the criminals' names, age, list of charges and sentence. The first one died at 10.00 am, and from then on the rest of convicts kept dying at one hour timing. Light has specified the time of each death, obviously, so? I began to read again the file. Then something got my interest. **"12/10/2006"** ...Today was 11th, and the day before yesterday was December 9th... When L announced his first hypothesis concerning the profile of the culprit... Goddammit.

I looked up. "The pattern," L kept an iron gaze on me, fully listening. "It changed right after you announced your suspicions about Kira being a student. Almost like..."

"A direct challenge to me." He finished for me. "And what can you deduct from that information?"

"Kira has access to the police."

"_Exactly._" L murmured, sounding genuinely pleased. I gaped; I had done it! Near's reports never specified any of this events, I had deducted this all by myself! I couldn't help but grin. I stole one last glance at the file on my lap before looking back to L.

"Are you going to tell the NPA?"

"Of course not." L then stood up on the wig chair, placing his left foot on the table while reaching for some chocolates. "If I'd do that, they would lose any trust they may have in me, no matter how small it is. Besides, it would mean giving Kira a personal satisfaction; he'd know we are powerless despite our new finding, and I'm not willing to let that happen." He left the small, dark wrapper on the table. "Not to mention that so far, is just my suspicion." He ate the chocolate, "I need to see if the pattern repeats today to confirm it." He added talking with his mouth full. I nodded.

"So you haven't rejected the possibility of Kira being a student?"

"That's right."

"Then... It's less likely that he's an officer, isn't it?"

"Correct, Ms. Milles." I took a deep breath, feeling content. This was good, very good. In three days time, the FBI agents would arrive; maybe then there would be a chance to try to catch Light... I gazed back at L.

"Is that all?" I asked him.

"Yes." I nodded once more, then untangled my legs and stood up. I left the report on the table.

"Then I'm going to sleep. Wake me up if anything happens." My voice wasn't tired in the least, but I'd better catch on my beauty sleep before midday; otherwise I wouldn't last a second awake during the rest of the day. Not to mention I'd rather not have rings so dark that competed with those of a raccoon. I didn't wait for his answer, nor did L seemed concerned about giving me one. Once inside my dorm, I crawled underneath the warm eiderdown, feeling content. I blinked a couple of times, then got onto my right side, looking towards the window. A silly smile appeared on my face; I was just so proud of myself. If I kept working like this... Who knows... I guess this morning talk filled me with hope.

Nevermind, the whole 'what-if-you-were-Kira' questions still had me puzzled. As I said before, everything L does has a purpose. Always. Which was that one? Was he trying to make me nervous? Nah, he had a million other ways to do that... I blinked twice more; I needed to figure it out before falling asleep. I'm not sure how much time I spent in the dark, wondering. It felt like just seconds. _"How would you find him...?"_ How... Could it be...? Had he been trying to... wormed the way I first found him at Teito Hotel out of me? ..._"L, you bastard."_

It sounds so paranoid... And so true. Sad thing I hadn't realized sooner.

_"Sad? You mean lucky thing."_

_"Shut-up." _Arguing with myself was stupidly annoying; I had to pity whoever I ever debated with. Closing my eyes, I stretched up, throwing my arms above my head.

"Ouch!" I took back both of my arms, nursing the spot in my right wrist where I had hit the wooden headboard.

_"She's got style, she's got grace, she's Miss United States..."_

* * *

**A.N/: ...Sorry; finally here it is! Not sure when I'll update again, life is being a bitch, just like writer's block. Anyway, hope you like this new chapter! Thank you everyone who has read, favorited and reviewed.**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	8. Digits

**_VII. Digits_**

I bit my bottom lip, hard. My gaze never left the computer screen, nor the figures of the three agents that had just quitted from the Task Force. The perspective of dying is way too powerful... I understand them well enough. "What now?" I asked L, who was standing by my right side. I could see him through the corner of my eye, standing with his hands shoved in his jeans' pockets.

"Find the source of the leak takes priority, obviously." He answered me, none bothering to look at each other.

"Obviously..." I whispered to myself. I turned around and walked up to the pile of papers resting on the floor, shortly afterwards gathering it in my thin arms. Once I got back to my original spot, I crouched on the floor, softly placing the papers before me; the mess I would've created had they fallen... Kneeling there, I looked back at L's face, up over my shoulder. "Half and half?" I asked him. His dilated pupils scrutinized me barely for a moment before he knelt by my side, answering me.

"Sounds fair." Then he took his part of paperwork, leaving me with the rest. The complete list of agents of the NPA... My, how in Earth did he want to look through all of this on his own, in the first place? I quickly ran my fingertips over each folio; on my part I counted 43 pages, the last of the list, which immediately made me knit my brows together. Without moving my head, I glanced at the papers L held, discovering a significantly bigger pile than my own. A brief mental calculation told me he had the remainder 98 folios. Well. I didn't know whether to be offended that he was, yet again, underestimating me, or just play along and enjoy the advantages of having a greatly-fed-ego genius as your coworker. I opted for that one. Besides, I couldn't help but think L would revise all of the files himself anyway, once I was sleeping maybe. I suppressed a sigh before looking at the papers. Mine consisted mostly of maintenance staff, receptionists and a few archivists. After reading carefully each name and linking it to the face of the picture, I read each worker's training, job and family description. _"Vertically, not horizontally."_ I scolded myself. Yeah, the Japanese written word still was a bit of trouble for me. Chief Yagami wasn't among my papers, so I silently thanked Mr. Wammy for saving me from boredom and unproductivity when his familiar, gothic **"W"** appeared on the screen, making the computer beep. L held his papers only with one hand, then clicked the mouse making Watari's image visible in replacement of his letter.

Not finding enough professionalism and self-control to resist, I spoke up first. "How you doing, sire?" I asked Mr. Wammy with a smirk.

"Quite fine, Ms. Milles, I presume?" The hidden humor in his deep, British, calm voice was evident to me. Guess it was too easy to difference L and myself even with a voice distorter.

"You know, I'm smiling right now." Now, _that _finally earned me my well-deserved chuckle from Mr. Wammy.

"Watari," L asked impassive. "Is everything in order?"

"Yes." Then the speech began. "We brought the FBI to Japan four days ago, they're fully operational. As requested, we didn't tell the police."

"And this is the complete list?"

"Yes." Answered Mr. Wammy. L began to check the folios again, soundlessly pensive. After a while, he came back to the living. He always did.

"Thank you, Watari, that'll be all for now." The detective dismissed him. When the screen went black again, I turned to L.

"Kira is here, right? Among these papers."

"Yes. I'm convinced of it, our suspect is either one of these people or, perhaps, one of their relatives."

I nodded. "Then, perhaps we should start with the agents in the Task Force. It's the most direct connection with the case." I suggested. Although he didn't answer me verbally I knew he had listened to me, for he was now holding just about ten pages instead of the whole ninety-eight pack. I gazed back to my remainder thirty files, faking interest. My eyes ran over all the blank spaces not filled with letters and words, so it would seem I was actually reading but being able to not distract myself. I needed to think. Four days ago, on December 14th, the FBI agents had arrived, as Mr. Wammy stated just moments ago. I only cared about one, though: Raye Penber, the agent shadowing Light Yagami. On the 20th of December a criminal named Osoreda will die, after the busjacking to Space Land, a local theme park. And, a week later, all of the agents sent to Japan will die. I bit my lip again. Osoreda was important, otherwise he wouldn't appear in the case's timeline. Tomorrow Light would... experiment with convicts. Gosh, I hate using that word. I had to figure out a way to stop him from killing the FBI agents... I have to say, knowing how cautious L is, I'm surprised they didn't get an alias written on their badges. After all, the detective already was almost —if not completely— certain that Kira needed a name and a face to kill. I passed the folio, repeating my procedure over the new file in my hands.

But, what could I do...? Again, Raye Penber is priority. However, I didn't have my wig and lenses anymore, just the phone I used to get the key of the suite at the Teito. Forcing myself to admit it, I was scared of going out to follow Raye Penber, who followed Light Yagami. At least, with my face in the open. Oh, well, suck it up Faith! You came here for a reason. I'd have to go just one day; I could use the excuse of having to go shopping with L so he would let me out of his sight. But he specified I should be accompained by Watari... Shit. Besides, L may ask the man to do the shopping for me instead of allowing me to do so. One way or another, I needed to get out of this new hotel. I passed the folio. New file.

How about if I tell him I just want a day off? ...Fat chance of that happening, but still, I could give it a shot. If I don't come up with something better, that's it. I'd have to look at maps of the area, etc, without making it too obvious I was up to something. After all, L told me my electronic devices would be monitored, and I fully believed him. Hell, he even made me strip before him! Now, don't go too nasty, I was left in my underwear so he could see I wasn't hiding any weapons, bugs, and all that paranoic sleuth stuff. It was embarrasingly weird. And even more awkward when... Anyway, back to the point. Then came another dilemma. Should I _save_ the FBI agents? I had no clue. I knew that, morally speaking, the answer was clear: yes. But... Near told me before departing. "_Will you have enough emotional control to keep up your performance and enough cold blood to let the precise people die, Ms. Milles?"_ He had asked me, and I still didn't know the answer. I passed the folio. New file.

I shook my head. "Something the matter, Ms. Milles?" I looked at L, who was gazing intently at me. I moved my head again.

"No." I said. "It's just, I'm thinking too much."

"Is there such a thing as thinking too much?" He calmly asked me, and I found myself smiling softly. _"If only you knew..."_ "Did you find anything interesting?"

I looked back to my papers. "Nothing that caught my eye." I looked back to him, gulping this time. "I was also wondering, L. Maybe I need a day off, I feel as if my head is gonna explode." There, I said it.

"Do you really think you have enough time to waste it?" L asked me, completely serious. I shook my head for the second time.

"I just need to clear my thoughts. Overworking tends to be counter-productive, after all." I stated, surprised at how easily my reasons were flowing through my mouth. "Besides, I don't have to necessarily take the whole day off if you don't want, maybe just the morning, or the afternoon."

"Although you have a point, Ms. Milles..." Then came the reason I knew he'd eventually use to deny me my request. "I'm afraid you didn't tell me with the accorded days prior. Besides, I believe Watari won't be able to accompay you for the next couple of days, and as I deem it as a necessary measure..."

"Oh, I know you want me back and safe," I told him sarcastically, interrupting him. "But I don't need Watari to vigilate me, let the poor man have a rest! I just want to go out, feel the cold winter winds and walk for a while, maybe go to a shopping centre or a theme park." I surprised myself by how truthful my words were. I _needed_ a rest. "L, had I known this sooner, I would have told you then. As you noticed, I like Quillsh, I don't mind his company. But I just realized I need a break, or else I may collapse."

A very long silence passed among us as we began another of our gaze contests, none willing to look away. Whereas I just stared at him, almost blankly, his gaze scrutinized every inch of my visage. I was getting a little better at this. The first times L undoubtedly was the winner of these little competitions we had; honestly, he still was, but I lasted longer too. Maybe it was that I truly looked exhausted; my eyes seemed to be permanently reddish for staring so many hours into the computer screen, my skin was almost as pale as L's now, my arms and legs were visibly thinner than the first time we met, and now I had bags under my eyes. Whatever it is he saw in me, it finally made him break the silence. "...Which day you want to take?"

I shrugged, containing I smile. If I may be so blunt, I didn't give a fuck as to why my arguments had worked. I just knew I was glad. "How about the day after tomorrow?"

After a moment, he agreed with a simple _'fine'_. Great! I gave him my most sincere smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He reluctantly answered.

* * *

Now, this is comfortable. Currently I'm sitting on my comfortable bed, with the quilt comfortably covering all my body from my waist to my feet. My upper body rested against the headboard, with a sweater keeping me warm. As my long legs were pulled up towards my chest, kind of like L uses to do, they served as the perfect support for my laptop, where I had a couple of windows opened. One showed me the maps I mentioned earlier whereas in the other two appeared a list of webs, responding to my Google search. I had literally typed **"Things to do" **and **"Places to visit in Kanto."** I had to play my part, just in case L was not only monitoring my laptop but also literally seeing my screen on his computer... Hey, it was possible, I had seen Stephen doing it. I'm afraid my skills weren't that tremendous, though. Yet. Anyway, from time to time I'd click on some website, scroll up and down the page and later retrieve to the browser. Then I could keep looking in the map. After closing the other two windows and opening a new one, in which I typed **"Space Land"**, I went to see how to get there. Okay, there were three bus stops; one was too far from Aoyama and the Yagami household, so —trusting my instinct—, I decided to cast it aside. Now, the other two. Stop no. 17 and stop no. 6... Fuck. I couldn't remember for the life of me if the timeline specified which bus had Osoreda hijacked. Okay, I rember his death took place around 10.00 am. Setting my fingers onto the keyboard, I typed for the bus' schedules. The 174 of no. 17 drives off at 9.20 am and of no. 6 at 9.35 am. Well... Rock, paper, scissors it is.

* * *

The first three Light's guinea pigs had already died shortly after I had woken up the next morning. L had just met with the Task Force too, that had informed him of the bizarre behaviour of the vicitms. I had just had breakfast, so it shouldn't have been a surprise to me that my stomach began to do funny things after seeing the pictures of the victimis. In particular, of the man who had been forced to draw a pentagram on his cell wall with his own blood. So far, it had been the most grotesque thing I had ever watched out of a horror movie or pictures of a decompositioned corpse during one of the lectures in college, back in Pennsylvania. _"Kira, you sick bastard."_

"What did he want to achieve?" I quietly asked, still looking at the pics.

L removed his thumb from his mouth. "It seems like he was conducting some sort of experiment."

I couldn't help it, I made a noise of disgust. "To see what?" I asked, now looking at the detective's face. "How far can he control death?" That son of a...

"That actually sounds plausible." I gaped, then realizing how awkward I looked I set my jaw back into place. "In fact, now that you mention it, it seems like a good reason. He has already challenged me, telling us he is willing to go on with this game until the end. That makes me think he's either finding out which are those limits, or rather, he's about to start something." He paused, placing his hand on his shaved chin. "Then again, Kira was born just a couple of months ago. Not even himself seems to know the extent of his power." Now, he moved his toes. He looked back at me. "I already instructed the police not to release this information. We won't be his channel to deliver the test's results. Besides," He added as I was about to question him. "If he still has access to the Task Force, which is most likely, he'll already know. There's no need to alarm the public."

...Seriously, did he read minds? Damn geniuses' telepathy. I went to the last picture, the letter written by one of the criminals before he died. _"Vertically!" _I thought to myself... Wait. Why do the words horizontally make sense? **"L, do you know."** Oh, shit.

"L," I called without tearing my gaze away from the picture. "There's something you may want to see." A single stare at him told me I had his complete interest.

"What is it?"

I offered him the photograph, which he softly took with the tips of his fingers, the thumb and the index, as per usual. "Kira left a message for you, first line horizontally."

* * *

There wasn't much to do for me afterwards. I kept mulling over tomorrow, still uncertain of what should I do. Was Raye Penber's death too benefitial for the investigation? I'd have to make a decision, soon. In the mean time, I kept feeling the urge to distract myself from the topic. I didn't care if it was work what kept my mind busy, I didn't care if it was a book. I just had to stop planning, to stop trying to foresight the outcome. I scanned the suite's living room; in two days time we would leave again for another hotel. As any other proper suite, this one also was big enough to be considered a luxury apartment. I was sitting indian style on a white leather couch, with my back towards the big windows and the urban landscape, my hands wrasping a mug filled with Earl Grey. On my right, crouching on the middle of a loveseat, stands L. He's holding more papers, but his gaze is rather unfocused, I can tell it's been for a while. Maybe he also needed a little distraction; after all, it will be in a week when something important happens. Not concerned if he took offense, I observed him, like I had never done before for fear of being scolded or analyzed in return. It was bizarre. _L_ was bizarre. This kind of person that makes you want to take a step back, yet keep your eyes on him, just to see what would be his next action. The rings underneath his eyes were so dark... I had never seen him sleep. One day I tried, but before I was aware of my body function, I had already succumbed to sleep after twenty-three hours awake. I always was the first to fall into dreamland and the second to come back to the living. Perhaps the unhealthy amounts of coffee and sweets he ate through the whole day, without any type of timetable or preference, were his engine to carry on. Like a machine. An odd thing, then, how thin he was. Biologically, he was a riddle. But he was human. Nothing I ever imagined had been close enough to reality, excepting for his gendre. I remember the paper I wrote about the whole L persona as a college freshman, and I certainly wanted to laugh now that I had met him. I had always imagined someone much older, colder and more professional in a conventional way, who actually went undercover in the cases he solved. Reality was so much better, though. Solving cases like this without moving from the sofa? Yep, he has officially asserted himself as my hero and work ambition. I healthily envied his intelligence; it pushed me forward, awakening my deepest ambitions and desires to compete for being the best and nothing less. As an emotional human being, he was a mess, capable of making my inner child awake at any moment, for he was also childish, always wanting to have the last word. He never had showed me hints of what he felt, just that extreme mistrust and wariness when we first met. But, to honor the truth, I began to like our fights, not caring as much for who won. Mentally, L was exceptional. Taking the mug with me, I stood up, finally allowing my eyes to rest as I stopped observing him. I walked around the sofa, then casually rested half of my butt against the furniture due to its limited height. I watched the city; it was past midday, deep in the afternoon. If only things were easier, if I could just tell him right away everything... I guess I could, but I wouldn't believe it if I was him. What proof could I give him? Tell him all the events chronologically. But what if something occured differently? Then I would be in even more danger, and I wouldn't be able to work from the heart of the case. I doubt anyone could believe my story... I mean, time travelling? People is too skeptical. I took a sip of my hot tea. I had had too much caffeine since I came here.

"L," I broke the silence, not looking away from the view. "Do you think maybe Kira is right?"

After some seconds his deep voice answered me. "What do you mean exactly?"

I sighed. "Maybe..." I shook my head. "What if he's actually doing something good? For people; for, the world..." I honestly had my opinion very well set in stone, but I wanted to start a conversation, and saying something like _"How are you doing"_ is just too mundane for us.

After a few seconds, L replied, annoyingly enough using another question apparently out of topic. "Would you mind telling me your thoughts on abortion, Ms. Milles?"

...See what I meant with _mundane_? I hadn't expected that, so I half-twisted my middle to look at him. "Beg your pardon?"

L rested the papers he had been lazily holding on top of the coffee table in front of his seat, then placed his hands on his raised knees, gazing at me. "Are you in favor or against abortion?"

I briefly looked to the floor before answering. "I think in favor. I believe the pregnant woman has the right to decide on the future of both, the unborn child and herself." My waist was starting to go numb, so I fully turned around to keep eye contact. "Sometimes is better that way; if the child is unwanted, like in rape cases, I doubt the mother will have the same predisposition to care for the baby than if, contrarily, the child is wanted. Now, this depends on the person, but I have heard cases in which the mother's resentment was so great towards the child that they ended up giving him —or her— into adoption, disregarding them, or barely raising them properly. Not necesarilly in an economic way, but... psychologically and morally. It's sad, but possible. So, before it comes to that, I think abortion would be a better solution." I told him truthfully. I didn't feel bad for not sugarcoating my beliefs; I knew I didn't have to do anything of the sort with him.

My answer made L place his thumb on his mouth and avert his dilated pupils from me as he mulled over the topic. "So, you consider killing lawful under certain circumstances..." I frowned.

"No! I didn't mean it like that." L gazed back at me.

"Abortion is, by definition, the ending of a pregnancy before term. The unborn is not considered a human being after the eleventh week of pregnancy, when the nervous system and cerebral cortex are developed, and is able and aware of perceiving sensory stimuli. Yet, it's known that many women decide to abort later, during the last weeks of the first trimester and even during the second, when the embryo is not cientifically considered as such, but a human life." L took off his thumb from his mouth. "Therefore, depending on the time and circumstances, abortion is technically a murder." His statement gave me goosebumps.

"Well, I'm in favor as long as the child is not considered a child." I said after gulping. "That's what I meant."

L made that _"hmm"_ noise, part of his idiosyncrasy. "What about euthanasia?" He asked. I frowned, not looking at him.

"It's called the mercy killing for a reason." I quietly stated, seeing the hypocrisy, that I so hypocritically hated, in my reasoning.

"In favor then." L affirmed, making me gaze back at his eyes.

"I..." I didn't know what did I want to refute, he got me there... Why did I want to have this conversation in the first place? Oh, right, I was bored. Well.

"Now, what about Kira?" L asked me, his voice deepening a little more than usual. "Do you think is justifiable what he's doing?"

My gaze hardened, becoming iron. "No." I ran my hand through my loose hair. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here nor would I risk my life." Okay, that was partially true.

"What if he only killed murderers with no capacity to feel remorse, who would undoubtedly kill again if given the chance?" L theorized further, leaning a little forward in his seat. I nearly moved in his direction, afraid he would lose balance. "Would the circumstances make lawful his actions?"

I waited just a moment of courtesy before replying. "No. He's still judging people without a proper judgement, it's... it's not right. Besides, that kind of criminals can be useful to investigate _why_ they do what they do, even if they don't have hopes of reintegration."

L run his thumb over his bottom lip a couple of times before speaking. "I once investigated and stopped a serial killer known for recreating with lurid accuracy well-known literary passages with his victims, all young girls, after raping and torturing them. I wonder if their relatives would share your opinion instead of supporting Kira..." I gulped, blinking a couple of times, otherwise remaining silent. "Right or wrong is a matter of perspective, Ms. Milles, to the vast majority of population. Some truly see Kira as a god, as someone purging the world. Others may only see what it is, a murderer." His hands rested again on his knees whereas his dark eyes pierced my own. "Needless to say, it's obvious in which side we are. And you need to be certain enough of your decision as to risk your life."

I actually chuckled at that. "_Dear, if only you knew..."_ "After all I've been through to reach this point, you can be sure I don't doubt. I want to go on till the end."

L imperceptibly nodded. "Good." He murmured, almost absently.

* * *

Taking a last glance at my reflection I finally exited the bathroom, taking my purse with me. The light grey boots' heels softly clikled against the floor as I took step after step, making my way over the entrance. While my boots and jeans were quite inconspicious, the long, electric blue sweater I wore was easily spotted. Perhaps that's why L had just called my name as I was walking by the living room. I turned to him. "Yes?"

Then, he did something that left me utterly speechless. He held up one of my garments, a grey trench coat, taking it with just the points of his thumbs and index fingers. "It's rather cold outside, you should take this." He took a couple of steps towards me. With my heels and his back hunched, I was a little taller. If he stood straight, he'd still be taller than me, though. "Besides, it matches your boots perfectly." I gaped at him, frozen.

Not only was L worrying about my physical well-being but also giving me fashion advice. A good and correct fashion advice... Where's the camera?

Finally snapping out of it, I closed the distance separating us. It was my turn to shock him when I lifted my right hand and, reaching beneath his hair, placed it on his forehead. Surprisingly, his skin was quite warm. He froze now, his eyes not once leaving me and his whole body stiff. His jaw was tense too. A second later he stepped back. "What are you doing?"

I dropped my arm. "Checking if you have a temperature." Said I, doubting he had got the joke.

"Do I look ill to you?" He asked, deadly serious. Jeez, mentally you may be...

"No, I was just... Ah, forget it." He offered me again the coat, not letting go of it. Hesitantly, I turned around then and L slipped it over my arms and shoulders. It felt too hot. The suite was contrastingly warm compared to the weather in the city, but I simply accepted the garment and expertly zippered it, adjusting the belt. I turned around, my brown eyes colliding with his grey, dilated ones. "...Thank you?" I ended up asking.

"You're welcome. Remember, you must be back at 17.00 sharp, Ms. Milles." He reminded me, going into 'strict-parent' mood.

"Sure." I nodded, with that, I turned around and walked to the door. "See you later!" I called over my shoulder just before closing the door. I briefly rested my back against the wood as I sighed. _"The hell just happened?"_

* * *

I had almost reached the bus stop no. 6. It was beneath the bridge, some metres away but I hadn't seen neither Penber nor Yagami. It was 8.10 am, I had come way too soon just in case I would miss anything. You know, better to be safe than sorry and all that jazz. I took a sip of my chocolate milshake, relishing the sweet flavor calmly. I hoped I had chosen the right stop, or else, my plan will be completely screwed. That's right, my little scheming mind had come up with another crazy quest that had around a 10% of chances to work... Oh gosh, I've been spending too much time with L, now I talk in percentages.

Anyway, I took another sip, the plastic Starbucks cup filled only to its middle. I knew my views regarding Kira were biased, plus, my Dad had had a great influence on the matter... but the things I saw. I was convinced I was right doing this, thinking like I did, not tolerating. I had nothing left; supposedly, all my family was gone now. Well, in this current year they were still alive with my eleven-year-old-self. But, if I failed and went back to the future, I'd be even more lonely than before. I guess I'd still have Ivye and my twins, sweet Paul and mischievous Harvey. No boyfriends though, not for quite some time now, ever since... Well, since Kira's death. I noticed a tear falling into the milshake, so I quickly rubbed the back of my hand over my cheek. With my left hand busy, I used the right to check if any of my trench's pockets lodged a tissue. Left pocket empty. Right pocket... Not empty? I frowned as I lowered my gaze towards the moving buldge inside my coat. My fingertips were scraping against something small, cold and metallic. Firmly grasping it, I extracted my hand and opened it up. I gaped at my palm and the little round, black device, beeping soundlessly with a small intermittent red light. I examined it closer, turning it around over and over again. It had no lens nor any small holes like some bugs. And it didn't make sense for a camera to be buried inside a pocket. So, out of discard, it was... A GPS beeper. A fucking GPS beeper. "Son of the biggest bitch!" I shrieked at the device, unconcioussly switching back to English. A couple of tourists looked at me as if I had grown horns; some Japanese guys around my age looked at me too, but their faces told me they really hadn't understood my curse. I glared back at those that _did_ understand me. "What, you never seen a girl cursing and talking out loud? It's therapeutic!" They immediately averted their eyes from me, quickly moving away from the crazy chick without a stop. Great.

I glared back at the GPS. So that's what this morning incident was about. I snorted out loud. L caring for me my ass! I bit my tongue, taking a deep breath, then placed the GPS back where I found it. _"You're getting pay back for this one, L, I swear."_

After I checked I didn't have any more devices like bugs or hidden cameras, I finished my milshake, cooling myself down. _"Easy, Faith. Remeber, Raye is priority now."_ I told myself before checking my watch. 8.46. Spying a small bin on my left, I made my way over it, angrily tossing the empty cup inside. Why did I ever think L and I would eventually trust each other? Which part of my boundless imagination saw ourselves as pals, uh? Stupid. I turned around, checking again my watch. 8.51. Great... I took out my forever 61 second-hand phone, the one I used to call to the Teito reception. It was a wonder I had managed to keep it. Then, I began to press random buttons, nothing happening. I began to write the Fibonacci sequene as I waited for Penber to show up. Below me, the bus stop was nearly empty. I was on **987** when at 9.15 I saw Light through the corner of my eye, coming from my right. _"Okay Faith, do not panic. Your hair is covering most of the side of your face, he can't see you, he doesn't know who you are nor that you're hunting him. It's all fine."_ He descended the bridge stairs, not even looking at me. I breathed out a sigh of never-ending relief, not moving my body an inch. When I was sure he had completely reached the stop, I finally moved aside my black locks. Not a minute later, another man came, briefly stopping near the bridge's railing and taking out of his long coat a small notebook and a pen. He began to write something. Now or never. Slidding on my next mask, I strode towards Raye Penber.

He looked back at me once he caught sound of my boots. I drew a timid, small smile, ready to play my character. "Excuse me, do you speak English?" I asked in my native tongue. He closed a little the notebook, the pen held between the pages.

"Yes, do you need something miss?" His deep, American accented voice asked me. I let out small chuckle while fully smiling, showing him my white teeth.

"Oh goodness, finally!" I showed him the old phone in my hand, currently turned off. "You see, sir, my battery just died and I've been waiting for my boyfriend for almost a whole hour! Could you lend me your phone to call him, please? I won't take long, I promise." I asked him with my cheesiest voice, adding it a touch of worry while making my brown eyes shine a little. Penber softened his gaze instantly. _"Oh, yes."_

"Of course, here." He offered me his black phone and I brightly smiled again.

"Thank you so much sir!" I softly took the phone and flipped it open. Then dialed Harvey's future phone number, knowing it —probably— wouldn't exist. I brought the phone to my ear, then waited as if I was actually hearing a beep. I made my face grow serious, then walked to the other side of the bridge, giving Raye Penber's intense and cautious gaze my back. I counted a second, then shook my head as if I was disappointed. Right after taking the cellphone from my ear, I opened Penber's phone contacts, quickly memorizing the number I wanted. I exited it, then turned around with a sad smile placed on my face. I offered him the phone, which he took as I kept memorizing the numbers. "He didn't answer." I made my smile a little more bitter, looking at his eyes. "Thanks anyway, I better go home." Without giving him the chance to reply, I walked away, my head down as I stared into the ground. In my head, I kept repeating the ten digits like a mantra.

* * *

December 27th. The FBI director had just informed us that he wouldn't send any more agents against Kira. I had looked too many times at the list of dead agents, feeling both relief that my Dad's name wasn't among the others and guilt as I read Raye Penber's. _"I'm sorry..."_ I thought once more upon the memory.

Mr. Wammy then put us on the line with Chief Yagami. L still had his back towards the computer, refusing to turn around whereas I was facing it, standing barefoot by L's side. "L, I just got off the phone with the FBI director. According to him, it seems that you arranged for the FBI to come to Japan and investigate everyone here associated with the Task Force." He quickly stated.

"Yes, I did." L admitted calmly, almost indifferent. I bit my lip, turning my head to gaze at him. He didn't gaze back, staring blankly at the front.

"So how do you explain this, are we now suspects in our own investigation?" Chief Yagami slowly asked with his anger palpable within each word.

"I felt that it was necessary to uncover Kira's identity." L told him. I closed my eyes while tensing my jaw at a particular comment one of the officers made. Murderer, he had called L. I took a deep breath, fighting to control my tears and guilt. _"Then so am I."_ I thought, remembering again Raye Penber and his colleagues. Later I would lie to myself and say that it was necessary, that I didn't have a choice, so I could get some sleep. I doubted it would work. When the headquarters disappeared from the screen I opened my eyes. Mr. Wammy was again on the line.

"We have another victim. A note was found too." With that, L briefly looked at me, then both of us walked towards the computer. He knelt and I followed him, gazing at the screen. I glanced over at the detective, seeing for the first time the young man showing an emotion I wasn't entirely certain he could feel. But, I was wrong. Every inch of him subtly radiated with contained wrath. Hesitantly, I placed softly my hand on his left shoulder. He didn't react, he didn't make a move to stop me, so I remained there. I looked back at the letter on the screen, still trying to give him any kind of support. The message was complete now.

**"L, do you know Gods of Death love apples?"**

* * *

**A.N/: FI-NA-LLY done! Gosh, so sorry for my abscence, but I finally got holidays so, hopefully, I'll be able to update more often. Now, I'd like to make a few clarifications I consider necessary. My personal views on the taboo subjects treated in this chapter —abortion and euthanasia— DO NOT ****necessarily coincide with my OC's. I'll leave that to your imagination, dear readers, or to the PM inbox if one of you is enough interested in knowing them. On a side note, I wouldn't mind in the least to hear your opinions about both topics, so feel free to leave them on a review or PM. As I warned in the very first chapter of the story, topics like these could eventually show up in the story so, please, don't feel offended or anything of the sort if you disagree with Faith's opinion, or any other character's opinion. As for L's, I tried to leave them kind of in the shadows, as in no moment he says _"I agree"_ or _"I think"_, things like that.**

**Thank you everyone who has read, followed, faved and reviewed! :) Especially, thanks to **Puralika Mohanty **for her support and for making a drawing of Faith Millers ^-^ Here I leave the link ****—without spaces and brackets****—****:**

**http: .com (/) art (/) Gift-Faith-Millers-for-Castleglass (-) 618639590**

**Hope you liked it. Until next time!**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	9. Ghosts

**_VIII. Ghosts_**

I groaned in pain. "I want an epidural!"

"I'm sure ibuprofen will suffice, Ms. Milles." L replied sounding bored of my tantrums. I bet he would've rolled his eyes if he had the power to do so. Nevermind, I doubled over my stomach again, making a ball of myself. "_Dear__, old, white, Gandalf." _Even though I had my eyes tightly closed as my hands clutched my middle, I heard the sound of an envelope being opened, followed by the sound of the effervescent medication colliding with water and a spoon stirring the mix. "Here."

I cracked one eye open to find a small glass with a greyish liquid in it and a pale hand offering it to me, holding it just with the index and thumb fingers. In L's other hand, who —by the way— was crouching atop of his new favorite chair in the new Teito's suite we'd just moved in, was the small spoon I had heard seconds before. I ripped the glass from him, then drank all the contents down as if it was a shot. It tasted like chemical mint... Not sure if I liked it. Once I had swallowed all the medicine I grumpily left the glass on the rectangular coffee table in front of the couch I was laying on. "Oh goodness..." I murmured, burying my face into one of the flamboyant pillows.

"Are your periods usually this traumatic?" Asked L out of the blue while placing the spoon inside the empty glass. That made me glare at him instantly. His sofa was located near one of the ends of my couch, where my head was resting; L was also facing the coffee table, as if he was heading a meeting. However, only his head was turned towards my direction, with his big eyes scrutinizing my _oh_ so elegant form, curled in a fetal position.

"I'm not talking with you about my periods." I declared bluntly, supressing the need to palm-face myself. Had he no sense of privacy? ...After all our time together I still wonder things like that.

"There's nothing to be embarrased of, all women experience such a rise and fall of hormones ever since they turn-"

"L! I really don't wanna have this conversation!" I interrupted. "Do you even realize how awkward is that the 21st century Sherlock Holmes was about to lecture me on menstruation?" I held up my hand upon seeing his mouth parting, ready to make another remark equally witty and bizarre. "Don't answer that either, please." I breathed in sharply, checking my watch. Only five minutes had passed, and the ibuprofen wouldn't begin to work until half an hour had passed. I groaned again in both, pain and complain.

"Weren't you expecting this, though? Watari could have brought you painkillers sooner had you told him." I gulped, deciding not to tell him that I had skipped the month of November, probably because of all the stress I had gone through, so I wasn't sure when I would bleed this month of December.

"Last month I was able to take pills some days before I got it so the pain wasn't this bad. Now, what I didn't expect this month was for my hormones to go crazier than usual and drop a week prior than expected." I answered him, noticing he had had his thumb on his lips while listening to me. "Good thing this didn't happen during Christmas..."

"In occidental culture red is a traditional colour for that festivity." Slowly, I turned my head to glare at him again; he just didn't... L looked unfazed. "So when you don't take the appointed medication you aren't able to even walk on your own?" He asked wryly, changing the subject.

I blinked at him, still with my whole middle bent, and raised an eyebrow."No uterus, no opinion." I declared while jabbing my index finger in his direction.

Then something I never thought I'd see before dying happened, the unthinkable. L half-smiled. He. Can. Smile. And I'm sure I'm not hallucinating due to the pain; the subtle lift of his left lip corner was there for me. I had made L feel something else than suspicion or boredom. "You know, it's the first time I see you smiling... Well, almost."

"Seriously? It's not that much of an extraordinary action. In fact, you're also smiling, Ms. Milles." I chuckled, looking at the ceiling with my eyes half-closed.

"Do you know what I'd just _adore, pay_ to see?"

"Surprise me."

"Sherlock Holmes vs. L, the epic detectives battle." I told him smirking.

"And who do you think would win?"

"Well, Holmes has Dr. Watson as his awesome sidekick, and you have Watari, who I'm convinced is more of a badass than the own Batman. Plus, I guess I could help too. Hmm, the forces are quite equal..." I glanced at him. "It's said Sherlock Holmes is the best detective who has ever existed." I couldn't help myself but tease him a little.

"Only fictionally, young lady." L stated with all solemnity, making me chuckle again, delighted by his little inner child. "You didn't answer my question, though."

I feigned doubt by tapping my chin a couple of times before gazing back at him. "If I say you, do I get a slice of that mouth-watering lemon cake?" I asked, eyeing hungrily the plate that stood before him.

"But it's my cake." Said he, resembling a child again.

"I'll cook another one for you once I feel better."

"Hmm... Deal." I grinned broadly, taking hold of the plate.

"You'd win!" I cut a small slice, then took it with my hand and devoured half of it.

"I'll blame your lack of manners and your hunger to the hormones." He murmured eyeing the cake and earning one of my glares. "Although it's probably a good thing you increased your appetite, you look a bit too thin for your height."

"... I don't know how I feel about that." I answered with my mouth full with the last bite of my slice. I passed him back the plate. After a couple of minutes I eventually stretched my legs. The pain in my ovaries was decreasing. "Thanks." I said.

"I merely stated the truth; your natural complexion is that of a thin body with a shilouette that lacks exaggerated curves."

"...I meant for the cake and keeping me company, but it's nice to know my body is plain and masculine." I retorted sarcastically.

"My apologies."

"Whatever." I actually felt self-concious after L's statement. Maybe he was right and the hormones were affecting me, making me even more emotionally unstable than usual. Well. "I forgive you for the sake of our weirdly unconventional friendship... But don't ever make comments about my weight again... Nor any woman's. We don't like it unless we're told how perfect we look, it doesn't matter if we know you're lying." I tried to joke.

After a moment of contemptuos silence, L's voice reached my ears. "You consider me a friend." It was another statement.

My eyes fluttered completely open. I did say that. "Guess I do." After a moment, I turned my head to meet his piercing gaze; he looked pretty interested in my answer. "I mean, we've been living together for almost a month, and coexistence has been quite intense, so to speak. I suppose I've grown fond of our... routine, if it can be called like that." I added with a small chuckle.

After a moment L spoke up again. "I recall you stated your doubts about forming a friendship, even an alliance, between us."

"All of sudden." I responded, not missing the bait. "I didn't expect it all of sudden. But, you know. Brush makes affection."

"I suppose." L murmured quietly against his thumb, his eyes never leaving me. I couldn't help but gulp.

"However," I added after a moment of thick silence. "I don't really think the feeling is mutual, especially if you still see me as an enemy or a spy." Okay, that sounded much more pettier than in my mind. I hurried to fix it. "Not that I blame you; I understand all the precautions you must take to protect your persona and everything-"

"You are rambling now." He pointed out, interrupting me. I gazed at my knees, faintly embarrased and annoyed.

"Very observant, smartass." I whispered to myself. I should've kept my mouth shut; I mean, where's the professionalism? I seriously doubt telling L my feelings will do me any favor. It was true that I was growing fond of him and his quirks; I was observant too, and now I was able to distinguish the subtle emotions each of his words carried everytime he spoke to me, informing me about his mood for the day. He was just human deep down, no matter how alien he appeared in the outside. But I wasn't able to forget that my priority wasn't him; Kira was. Stop him no matter what. Feelings could make me commit a mistake since they can be manipulated; I was afraid that anyone could see that, especially him or Light. I had observed L, and I noticed he was like a hound: he never lets go of his prey. At least not completely. Right now he was focusing on Kira, but I knew he hadn't forgotten about me and my sudden, inopportune appearance in his life. That was another mystery he would solve, no matter at what price, in particular if his identity and life were at risk. Well, if he believed so anyway. He was just wasting his time, for I would take that secret with me until I was six feet under.

"I am convinced that you have lied to me in a good variety of things, or rather, that you haven't been entirely sincere. You're hiding things from me as well, like how do you know my identity. Nevermind, I still have no clue why is that." L said, earning again my attention. Lazily, he guided his fingertip back into his mouth. "However, after our time together I'm able to say that, if you have ever received training for becoming a spy, you either have an immense patience and self-control not to make any mistake after 27 days of coexistence, or, contrarily, you're quite an incompetent that actually doesn't know what to do, or is too afraid of being caught to do it." My face remained impasive, not sure of what to say. "Of course, the possibility of you not being a spy always remains."

I sighed, looking at his eyes, for I had nothing to hide from him in what I was about to say. I remember my mother used to say that only the eyes tell us the truth beneath words; it had been one of the very few things we had ever agreed on. "I already told you, I'm not a spy. And I don't want to sell you out to some mafia boss nor anything of the sort; I can't give you more proof, though." He remained quiet as if analyzing everything I'd just said while not averting his gaze from mine. After a while, I spoke again. "Now that I think about it, why are you with me and not Watari?" I asked frowning. "Not that I mind it, is just that you usually have better things to do."

I noticed L had his hands resting on top of his knees now. "He has gone to the police station, tonight will be crucial." Now _that_ got my interest.

"Why?"

"All the members of the Kira Task Force will have to make a decision. Who stays and continues investigating, and who leaves." He answered me. "It's then, and only then, when I'll be forced to make my next move." I paused a couple of seconds before slowly sitting up to look at him properly.

"What do you mean exactly?" I already knew what was about to come, but still, I had to ask.

"I will show those who decide to stay in the Task Force my face. After the failure of the FBI agents, the Task Force will demand me to reciprocate the trust they're giving me; we are at a dead end right now, so it's just appropiated to take the investigation in a different way." He said, making me slowly nod.

"I assume Watari and I will show our faces too, eventually."

"Yes." L stood up. "However, you will need an alias; I'll tell you later which I have chosen for you. Moreover, from the moment we meet the Task Force I must ask you to call me Ryuzaki." I nodded again and, after a second, he began to walk out of the lounge. He stopped by the doorway, though, twisting his neck to glance back at me. "By the way, Holmes wouldn't stand a chance. Cocaine addicts are easy to play with due to their weakness, even if they're geniuses." With that, he walked out. After a second I laughed, shooking my head. He was such a giant baby... Now that I think about it, L never told me why he had stayed with me until I felt better. _"You play dumb really well for a genius, L."_

* * *

I looked at myself in the mirror; a little of eyeliner on my eyes? Check. Some powder on my cheeks so I didn't look too pale? Got it. A discret lipstick? Done. Perfect. I wanted not to only make a good impression on the Task Force but also felt like dolling up to welcome the New Year. My outfit was quite simple, though; a fancy shirt, skinny black pants and, as normally, my feet bare. Thankfully, the ibuprofen had effectively worked so I didn't need to lay down anymore. I ran a hand through my loose hair, then walked out of my dorm's bathroom. The agents would come soon, L had summoned them at midnight; all of the ones the files specified. Mr. Soichiro Yagami —of course—, Kanzo Mogi, Shuichi Aizawa, Touta Matsuda and Hirokazu Ukita... This last name was the one that haunted me the most.

I sighed, making my way over to the kitchen. There I took three fancy cocktail glasses and began my mixes. Today it was 23.32 of the 31st of December, and I would somehow celebrate the New Year no matter what. It made no sense to ponder over something that was so ahead in the future. At least not tonight.

After about fifteen minutes the three drinks were done; I stared proudly at them before cleaning the kitchen. Then I took two of the cups and walked to the lounge, finding him exactly where I had expected him to be, facing the views of Tokyo's nightlife. I walked up to his right side, then offered him the Martini cup I held in my left hand. He looked down at the reddish liquid, then to my face. "What is that?" He asked.

"Strawberry Martini, free of alcohol." I shrugged. "I didn't know if you drink, so I had to improvise. I think you'll like the taste, though, it's quite sweet." After a moment of contemplation L took the drink but didn't try it. Shrugging once more mentally, I took a sip of my own Toblerone, enjoying the overly sweet flavour.

"I wasn't aware of your bartending skills." L said, making me chuckle.

"One of my ex boyfriends worked in clubs preparing cocktails during the nights, kind of like Tom Cruise in the movie but without taking twenty minutes per drink. So, he taught me a few tricks." I told him smiling softly. Jeremy had been such a funny guy to be with... I snapped out of my daydream and gazed at him, my face once more serious. L had been staring at me, as usual. I gulped before asking him. "Are you sure of doing this?"

I didn't bother to be more specific; L had this capacity to read me, knowing what I meant with most of my unfinished sentences. "Yes. It was only a matter of time before Kira and I would collide." I kept silence, controling the urge to run a hand through my hair. "Besides, if he finds out about this meetings I'm sure he'll feel compelled to assist."

"You want him to show his face as well..." I quietly stated.

"Indeed. In fact, that is what I'm counting on." I kept my eyes on his for a moment longer before looking out of the window. There wasn't much traffic jam, and all the buildings were illuminated with the lights of each home.

"He's far from stupid," I nervously moistened my lips. "Now we three are truly putting our lives in the line, more than ever before. It's a very risky move..." My voice sounded smaller than I had intended to.

"It's the only way to advance in the investigation." L's voice also sounded softer than I had expected it.

We spent the rest of the time in silence. I couldn't help but feel scared anyway, even if I knew what was coming. _"Please, let everything I have planned work..." _I prayed to whatever deity willing to listen to my plea. "It's actually quite good." I heard L murmur to himself, making me focus on him again. He had taken a sip of the Martini.

I smiled brightly. "Told you so." Said I, with a grin. Frowning, I checked my watch. 23.57. "I should go, they must be around the corner." I took another sip of my drink before moving towards the entrance of the room. Right after stepping out of the lounge, I turned around. He had been watching me, for his body was also half-turned. "Happy New Year, L."

With that, I walked out.

* * *

Now it was midnight. 1st of January; new year, new beginnings, new challenges... Like beating Mr. Wammy at chess. I glared holes into his black queen piece, which was in the perfect position to take my king if I moved the bishop that was protecting it. I bit my bottom lip, concentrating. He had my own white queen fenced, so I couldn't make any powerful attacks. A defensive play it'd have to be; I have to anticipate at least three of his possible upcoming movements before acting. One of them would be the obvious; take my bishop, force my king to move one square forward, then begin the mate, therefore keeping me from attacking. I had to protect the king, but how...?

"I believe, if you keep your concentration like that you'll end up moving the whole board, Ms. Milles." Mr. Wammy slightly chuckled amicably.

"Ha, ha..." I laughed sarcastically without averting my eyes from the chessboard. Hesitantly, I moved my king one square forward, finally staring back at Mr. Wammy. He calmly watched my movement, then sipped the cocktail I had prepared for him and finally reached for his queen. But then, instead of advancing towards my bishop, he retreated it diagonally, positioning it in the place of my white queen. I gaped at the movement, at him, then back at the board. "You sneaky old man..."

Mr. Wammy chuckled. "Your turn, miss."

I glanced apathetically at my white pieces while containing a sigh; I only had the king, my bishop, both towers and three pawns left, whereas Mr. Wammy had only lost four pawns, a horse and a tower... "I'm screwed." I declared to my adversary. "How am I supposed to fix this?" I asked him, gesturing to the board.

Mr. Wammy's face was a mixture of peace and amusement. I wasn't stupid enough not to know that half of the pieces I had taken from him were the ones he had allowed me to... Ugh. "Once we're done with this game I shall give you some advice, if you'd like." Aww, I just can't stay mad at this master of chess for too long.

I nodded, gazing at the board again. "I certainly could use it." Finally, I decided to make one of my pawns advance, hoping I could get my queen back. Mr. Wammy waited for a moment, analyzing the game. "How long do you think it'll take them?"

Mr. Wammy made his remainder tower block the way of my pawn. "It's safe to say we won't be called until some hours have passed, miss. We may as well make the most of our time."

I nodded absently, bitting my lip as I thought hard about my next move. That pawn was already dead for all that I knew, so I should focus on the king's safety. Maybe I could make the game end in a tie. "Can I ask you something, Watari?" I moved a tower two squares forward to protect the king's side.

"Of course." The inventor in front of me moved his horse near my bishop.

"Could you just call me Hail when we're alone? Ms. Milles sounds too formal now that we aren't so wary of each other." Mr. Wammy smiled softly while watching me make the next move.

"As you please, Hail." Mr. Wammy then moved his queen where my tower stood. "Checkmate." My smiled vanished right after I registered what had just happened. His aim hadn't been my bishop but the other piece, since the first was useless as a defensive shield with this last movement. I frowned.

"Dammit..." Mr. Wammy smiled innocently.

"A week of performing different tasks, I believe we agreed." He stated, finishing off his cocktail like a proper dandy. I pursed my lips.

"Remind me to never underestimate you, nor gamble with you again." With another chuckle and an amused twinkle in his eye, Mr. Wammy left the now empty glass on the table. "What did I do wrong? Wait, let me rephrase that. Did I do something right?"

"Your main mistakes were, on one side, your rush. Patience is a virtue, especially in the battlefield. Whereas a good attack is important, a strategy, a tactic, is even more. I saw your eagerness and I toyed with it." He began to order the pieces again. "The other main mistake you made was disregard your queen's protection and deem her as a disposable piece." I held my white queen while scrutinizing it. "Surely you have heard that, even though if the king dies so does the game, the queen is the most important piece, the key to victory."

"Yeah, the one that can make practically any move and change everything." Mr. Wammy nodded as I placed the piece in its square, beside her king.

"Believe it or not, there's a reason to the saying 'behind every great man is a great woman'." I couldn't help but chuckle wryly. I looked at him.

"So do you have a great woman behind you?" Mr. Wammy smiled sadly.

"Not anymore." My eyes went to the board, wondering if I should've asked such a personal question.

"Sorry, that was out of place." I apologized, nevertheless also feeling my curiosity growing.

"Don't worry, Hail. It was a long time ago." I glanced at him, colliding with his kind face. "I presume you don't stand in the shadow of any man either?"

I smiled, not showing my teeth. "Hell, no. I suppose I haven't found a man great enough for me to fit within his shadow." Mr. Wammy smiled, not adding anything else for a while. I then broke the silence. "Will you teach me your secret strategies, oh so great chess master?" I asked grinning.

"I'm starting to believe you're actually hopeless, Hail." Said the Brit gentleman, leaning towards the board. I copied him, widening my smile.

"Tell me something I don't know, old man."

* * *

After a long nap of four hours we both took, and three more games of chess in which I both lost as well as proved Mr. Wammy how stronghead I truly was, his self-phone beeped just once. He took it out and stared at the screen "It's L, isn't it?" I asked him, making him nod.

"Precisely. I must call him in a minute." Mr. Wammy looked back at me. "Seems like we will make our acquaintance with the agents soon enough."

I let my back fall against the chair, looking at the sparkling chandelier that hung from ceiling. "Although it took them long enough..." And by long enough I meant 6 whole hours. Seriously, it was beginning to get light. Mr. Wammy opened his self-phone for the second time and, a moment later, pressed it against his right ear.

"Ryuzaki, all things you requested are ready." I frowned, not aware of that part of the plan. "Shall we go there now...? Alright, we're on our way." Afterwards, he hung up while stretching his long legs. "Shall we, Hail?" He asked me as he put on his hat. I nodded and stood up as Watari took a bag with two suitcases I had spotted hours before. I wondered what was inside them, and if they had something to do with L's requests... Mr. Wammy opened the suite's door for me and, once it was locked, we crossed the floor's corridor to another suite. The one L and the Task Force were in. I gulped to later take a long, deep breath. _"Here we go."_ I thought as the door opened. Mr. Wammy, sensing my nerves, stepped first and I followed close behind. When we finally reached the lounge our entrance was followed by a small round of _'oww'_s. Mr. Wammy was also the first to speak.

"Gentlemen, it's an honor to meet all of you." He said politely in a perfect, fluid Japanese while taking off his hat. I stepped forward, positioning myself between him and the armchair L was sitting on.

"As Watari just said, it's a pleasure to meet you all, officers." I said, managing to keep my voice from trembling and in an understandable accent.

"This person is Watari...?" A younger Aizawa I instantly recognized asked to himself.

"What about your usual outfit?" The youngest cop I remembered from one of the meetings asked him.

"If I dressed like that I'd be announcing to the world that I'm Watari. That's all it takes to give away the location of our headquarters and Ryuzaki." He calmly explained the obvious.

The same cop, Matsuda, turned to me. "And you are...?" I gulped, not knowing which role had L assigned me. Thankfully, the detective answered for me.

"As I told you, this is my personal assistant, miss Mya Droog." I froze, keeping my smile tight while resisting the urge to glare at L. He had told everyone that I was his _personal assistant? _...Really? Wasn't something else he could've come up with, something more creative and that wouldn't bound me to be his slave? Had any of us —save for L— been more observant, we would've noticed the subtle twist of Mr. Wammy's neck to briefly look at L with his eyebrow raised in question upon hearing the alias he had chosen for me. But none of us did, and in less than two seconds Mr. Wammy was staring back to the front as if nothing had happened.

"Indeed." I added, for the sake of performance.

"But you're so..." Matsuda began to say before freezing and gaping once more at me, looking at a loss of words to describe me.

"Normal..." Aizawa finished for him, making my smile bigger.

"I'll definitely take that as a compliment." I said, trying to be kind as well as make _Ryuzaki_ catch my drift.

"Ordinarily neither Ms. Droog nor myself would show our faces to any of you. The fact that we are here is proof that you've won Ryuzaki's trust." Mr. Wammy added.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel honored," Matsuda said while scratching awkwardly the back of his head. I directed my small half-smile towards him. I already liked his somewhat sheepish and eager nature; it reminded me a little of Paul. Mr. Wammy took one of the suitcases that rested inside the bag he had carried, then positioned himself back in his place while holding it.

"Well, then." He leaned a little forward. "I brought those items you requested, it's all here." He said, referring to L.

The detective looked at him. "Could you, please, pass them out to everyone?"

"Yes." With that, L looked to the front again and Mr. Wammy offered me the suitcase he was holding, which I obediently took. After a brief hesitation I opened it to reveal five police badges; everybody stared at them slightly puzzled whereas I tried to keep my face blank, imitating both L and Watari. "Gentlemen, those are your new police IDs." After he said that, I stepped up to Mr. Yagami, who was closer to me and offered him the suitcase. He hesitantly took the ID with his picture.

_"Seems like you've learnt from the FBI fiasco, L."_ I thought while seeing the false names and ranks of the IDs. I moved to the next agent, young Mr. Matsuda, who after blinking at my face once more took his ID. Next was a big man with short, dark chestnut hair. _"Mr. Mogi."_ Then came a shorter man that smelled like blonde cigarettes. _"Mr._ _Ukita." _I swallowed saliva. Lastly, Mr. Aizawa. He hadn't changed that much, his most noticeable change his lack of grey hairs alongside the hairstyle.

"Our names and ranks are false." Mr. Yagami pointed out while observing his ID. I closed the suitcase and Watari took it from me.

"Why did you give us fake IDs?" Asked Matsuda.

"Kira requires a name and a face to kill," L began his explanation as I came to stand in my original position by his side. He paused to sip the remainder of his coffee. "You will confront him with both, and I think it should be obvious why."

"Ms. Droog, could you bring me another coffee please?" He suddenly asked, looking at me all innocently. "Black, nine sugar spoonfuls at least." I glared at him before smiling ironically.

"Sure." I then took the empty cup and walked out of the lounge, feeling everybody's gaze in my back. He was _so_ getting payback this time. By the time I walked back to the lounge half of a sentence reached my ears.

"-It would be foolish not to use them." Mr. Yagami's voice was saying as all the Task Force members nodded while keeping analyzing their new IDs. I left the cup with L's coffee in front of him.

"Remember," L spoke up with a rather commanding tone. "Any time you're in a situation where you have to give out your name to a stranger make sure to use the name from your fake ID, understood?" He asked the troop as a teacher asks his pupils if they have understood the lesson of the day.

They all agreed. "Right." Someone murmured as L took the first sip of the coffee I'd made. He froze, his Adam's apple not moving. I daintly cleared my throat trying to contain my smirk. He separated the cup from his mouth, briefly eyeing me before placing it back on the table with the drink practically untouched.

"And be careful not to take them out while in the presence of other police officers." L continued as if nothing had happened. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you, that could cause problems for us." His tone softened a little at the end of the sentence.

"Very well, then." I turned to my side to watch Mr. Wammy opening the other suitcase; in its inside were five belts. "I'd like to request that you wear these at all times." The agents stood up surrounding him, their interest focused on the items; meanwhile, L and I remained in our positions, glancing side-way to the group. Mr. Wammy held up one of the belts. "Each one has a transmitter hidden in the buckle. This will allow Ryuzaki to monitor your whereabouts." Now, that sounds familiar. I couldn't help but glance at L for a moment. "And when you press the buckle twice," Mr. Wammy proceeded to do so and, right after, his phone rang. "My self-phone will ring displaying your name." He rejected the call while holding up his phone for all of us to see. He put it back in his pocket. "And I'll call you back immediately, but you won't see my number displayed. In the morning, all of you will go to the police station as usual; then, later on on the day, you'll use this method to confirm the name of Ryuzaki's hotel and his room number." I watched from the corner of my eye L taking the cup I had prepared for him and bringing it below his nose. He sniffed once, then left the cup again where he found it as he eyed me warily. I almost smirked while taking care of gracefully ignore him. "Please use this for emergencies as well." Mr. Wammy added as he finished handing the belts around.

"No way, this is totally cool!" Matsuda bursted out while playing with the belt he had alreeady put on; I couldn't help but smile at his childish enthusiasm. "I feel like some kind of secret agent going out for Kira!"

_"Dude, it's not as fun as it sounds."_ I mentally warned him.

"Quiet, Matsuda! This is not the time to be fooling around. Knock it off!" Mr. Yagami snapped a bit too harshly for my liking. I understood he wanted all of his officers to be taken seriously, though, and even I had to admit that running around with your hands on your belt while giggling didn't exactly fit into the 'trained' label.

"Yes, sir." Matsuda said, meekly lowering his head in embarrasment. When he looked up I offered him a small smile which seemed to make him forget he had just been scolded by his chief in front of everybody.

"Happens every time." I softly told him, earning a sheepish smile from him. The men sat down in their previous spots. "Chief Yagami is right, though. Try to refrain yourself from those outbursts next time."

_"Do not blush, Faith, do not blush..." _I told myself upon seeing practically everybody's gaze on me. Nevermind, whatever answer Matsuda was about to tell me, it was cut by L's deep voice. "I've come to think of it, who's at the police station now?" He asked.

"Actually, no one's there at the moment." Answered Mr. Yagami, making me raise my eyebrows in disbelief.

"That's not good news." L drawled. "We need someone there at all times, working shifts if you have to." He ordered.

"I understand. Aizawa, I'll put you in charge of that for today." Mr. Yagami pointed out to the man in front of him. Aizawa stood up, obeying without complaints.

"Yes, sir. I'm on my way, it won't take me long." He told us optimistically. Without any further delay, he took the umbrella Mr. Wammy was offering him and exited the suite.

"So what should we do now? Where do we lead the investigation?" Mr. Ukita asked L.

"It's been a long night for all of you. In the mean time, please feel free to go home and celebrate the New Year with your families. We'll meet tomorrow evening to keep investigating the deaths of the fourteen FBI agents." L subtly kicked them out. Most agents murmured in agreement and all of them began to move slowly towards the parlour. After collecting their self-phones, they bidded us farewell and walked out.

I let out a sigh as I lazily walked over one of the windows. The first snowfall of the year was taking place.

"Ms. Milles," L's voice called me out, not sounding very pleased.

"Yes?" I asked with my most innocent voice as I turned to face him.

"Next time make sure you put sugar into my coffee and not salt." He told me while gazing at me with his thumb on his lips. "The taste is quite dreadful."

I crooked my head a little to the side, blinking twice as I did so. "Was it salt? My bad." I clumsily apologized, still fighting to control my smirk. As my fake apology made Mr. Wammy shook his head at our childish behaviour, L narrowed his eyes imperceptibly. _"Oh, revenge is salty."_

* * *

4th of January. I nervously tapped my foot against the cafe's floor, impatiently checking my watch every three seconds as my hands grasped the mug filled with green tea. It was extremely important for my appointment to come today, since I wouldn't manage to get other evening free nor would I convince L of letting me out on my own another time; the getting-a-day-off trick was growing old. _"He must be busy with the Task Force..."_

I released a deep breath, then checked my watch again. I had made sure I didn't have any cameras or bugs on me, but the GPS bipper had been practically impossible to avoid. I took a sip of my tea, hoping it would calm me down somehow. I was by my third cup when, finally, someone approached me hesitantly and took a seat in front of me.

"Ms. Joey?"

I took another deep breath as I studied the person in front of me; her long black her and her bangs, her Asian features, her black leather jacket and her dark, wary, intelligent eyes. I released my breath.

"Hello, Naomi."

* * *

**A.N/: There you go! Hope you enjoyed your reading. During next chapter I'll explain all important stuff that happened in the three days time lapse and how did Faith manage to get L's permission, of course, among other interesting things. A huge thank you to everyone who has read, followed, faved and reviewed! Seriously, the feedback I'm getting is way more than I originally imagined I would XD So, thank you all once more for your support.**

**The replies to the anonymous reviews (wish I could answer you privately, but this will have to do):**

Guest: **Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks so much for taking the time to drop me some lines! Here's the next chapter ;)**

Kinetic: **Hi there! Dear, you're gonna make me blush XD Thank _you _for being so kind and letting me know your thoughts, I'm really glad you like the story so much. I hope you like this chapter too :)**

**By the way, would any of you be interested in me making a playlist of the story? Just curious.**

**Until next time!**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


	10. Ally

_** IX. Ally**_

4th of January. I nervously tapped my foot against the cafe's floor, impatiently checking my watch every three seconds as my hands grasped the mug filled with green tea. It was extremely important for my appointment to come today, since I wouldn't manage to get other evening free nor would I convince L of letting me out on my own another time; the getting-a-day-off trick was growing old. _"He must be busy with the Task Force..."_

I released a deep breath, then checked my watch again. I had made sure I didn't have any cameras or bugs on me, but the GPS bipper had been practically impossible to avoid. I took a sip of my tea, hoping it would calm me down somehow. I was by my third cup when, finally, someone approached me hesitantly and took a seat in front of me.

"Ms. Joey?"

I took another deep breath as I studied the person in front of me; her long black hair and her bangs, her Asian features, her black leather jacket and her dark, wary, intelligent eyes. I released my breath.

"Hello, Naomi."

There was a thick, awkward silence between us. She observed me, I observed her. Those dark eyes, almost as dark as L's, traced my whole face, my middle from where it was visible —before it was shielded by the table separating us—, the half-empty mug... Everything. I could only assume she was paranoid. Not that I blamed her; after all, I was quite familiar with that. I did my best effort in keeping up with her cold glare, wondering about all of the emotions and thoughts that must be crossing Misora's mind at this very moment. Successfully enough, I kept my blank gaze on her except for the times I had to blink. I'd let her take the first step, because in all honesty, I wasn't sure myself of what had compelled me to do this.

"Why did you contact me?" She ended up asking, still a bit tense, waving dismissively the waiter that had just walked up to her, pen and notepad in his hands. He strode away without complaint. I understood the distrust and suspicion, quite well in fact. However, I did _not_ understand where the subtle wrath in her voice was coming from.

Unconciously, I shifted my right leg over the left, changing their previous positions. "It's complicated." Was all I could come up with. I was too nervous, no matter how solid my façade could appear.

"_Do_ explain." The ex FBI agent subtly demanded.

I took a deep breath.

"I already told you, I know who killed your fianceé." I took the blunt, potentially pisssing-off tactic.

Naomi's face twitched a little before she recompossed her mask. "How?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Not curious about _who_?" I ended up asking before thinking it through, not helping myself. I was curious as for why she hadn't questioned it, not to mention that was also my way of being defensive, using words instead of fists. Naomi kept her chapped lips in a thin line, refusing to grace me with an answer. I knew this tactic too well; make the suspect uncomfortable until he just can't bear the silence, the unspoken accusation, and then allow him to step into the lion's den, make him blurt something he _knows_ he's not supposed to say. This one was a classic, every professional interrogator had used it at least once in their careers. But Misora didn't know that not only Near and the rest of the team had taught me to decoy a person's methods, but that I had also coexisted with L himself for a month now. Not to mention, my own father is a special FBI agent, who had took me under his wing to prepare me for the work-field I had chosen, ever since I turned 14. "As you wish," I murmured.

I took another deep breath, just as I prepared myself to unleash chaos. "I know because I'm working inside the Kira Task Force."

"Why would I believe you?" I raised an eyebrow again.

"I don't think you have many backups."

Misora narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "If what you say it's true, then prove it."

It was my turn to get tense and clench my jaw in annoyance. Then again, I had been exactly the same while confronting Near. What should I do? Lie? No, that'd do me no good, especially if she caught me. While mourning, fierce and, I dare say, clouded by desperation and anger as well, this woman was no fool. Plus, I refused to forget that she also is a former, well-trained agent. If L had once asked for her cooperation, in my eyes that spoke volumes of her. So I did the only sensible thing; oblige. "Raye wasn't the only agent murdered, 11 other fellow agents that were sent to Japan as spies died along with him. Who could be a better suspect but the person Raye was following?"

She kept her mouth shut, mulling over my words. Possibly she had already deducted that much; I paused for a moment. "Tell me, you were a trained agent, weren't you?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Do you remember the LA case?" Naomi tensed up, not bothering to cover her reaction. "Don't you find some similarities in the patterns to summoun your attention?"

_That_ got a real response, for her lips parted faintly in disbelief. Her eyes were more alert than ever, though.

"It can't be... You can't be..." She mumbled as I resisted the urge to grin, amused.

"I'm not," I confirmed her statement. "But I do work with him, against Kira." I had the upper hand now, so better make the most of it and quickly. "I want to offer you a deal, Naomi. One that may ensure Kira's one way ticket to land him in a long-life imprisionment."

Her eyes narrowed even more, suspiciously. "Why offer it behind his back? What would you gain of it?"

My own visage became stony; I had to tread with very light feet here, even more than usual. "The same as you..." Revenge. "...Justice. I'm doing this to protect as many lives as I can manage, L's included. You see, I have a Batman complex."

She looked equally unamused and unimpressed by my heroine joke. Ouch. "The conditions?"

I contained myself from sighing in exasperation. "I just need cooperation outside the headquartes, since the case is keeping my hands full. I thought about keeping in contact through texts, codified of course. I will need a person to vigilate Kira and help me gather the evidence against him."

"And L doesn't know this. Not a single time you've referred to the both of you." She smartly pointed out, making me clench my hands in fists underneath the table. This wasn't going well.

"I do work for him."

"Truly?" She asked before I could add anything in my defense. A deep breath was all I took to keep control over myself. I knew. I knew how odd I sounded, how sensible it was of her to distrust me. I realized how I only had my loquacity and wit to prove myself, how she was so distrustful, for it took two liars to recognize one another. I was aware of all of this, and it angered me to no end how powerless I felt.

"Yes!" I couldn't help but snap. "That's how I knew about the FBI agents' undercover whereas the public wasn't, and obviously enough, indulged with such information. Not even the NPA knew until... I'm sure you can deduce that, therefore, the suspect is among the Japanese police, or with close connections to it." I confessed, trying to appease the woman before me.

Nevermind, she didn't seem willing to back down. "You also affirmed to know who is Kira."

"I do, bu-"

"L doesn't, does he?" She interrupted me, leaving me speechless. She took my silence as an invitation to continue. "Why not tell him then?" All of her accusations made so much sense that I began to feel light-headed.

"I told you, I first need proof. And I can't gather it alone!" Said I, no longer keeping a composed façade.

Now it was her turn to give out a second, humorless chuckle, scrutinizing me. However, she never bothered to elaborate. Instead, she asked. "Who?"

I swallowed saliva, thickly. This was the pivotal point of our quarrel. What should I do? ...Why, continue being the fool I truly am and yield, of course. "...Light Yagami." Was my eventual answer after a good five minutes straight had passed in silence.

Naomi's eyes opened up slightly in surprise. "The son of NPA's chief...?" Slowly, I nodded. After some minutes, her pensitive glance was replaced by her familiar glare, directed again towards me. "You said, Kira is the last person Raye followed." Her narrowed eyes gave out angry sparks. "How could you know which specifical family member Raye was following that day?"

I paled a little. "I..."

"You are the girl..." She interrupted me, as if reasoning out loud something that had been obvious for the longest time. On my part, I suppressed a deep frown... _What?_ "You borrowed Raye's phone, the day of the busjacking." She stated, much more convinced of what she was saying. Her voice was pure steel.

Nervously, I moistened my lips before replying. "Guess that answers your very first question."

As if she hadn't heard, she went on with her reasoning. "You were at the precise place and time..."

That made frown badly as I separated my back from the chair, leaning forward. "You seriously can't be suggesting-"

Naomi's voice turned into a deadly whisper as she too leant forward, mirroring me. "You knew who Raye was and had no trouble tricking him to get his phone and contact me, right at the moment I initiated my investigation. Why?" She pressed.

"It's not what you're thinking!" I half whispered, half shrieked. This was _not_ how the meeting was supposed to go! I need her to cooperate, not accuse me!

"Isn't it? ...You had the information, and the chance. You knew Kira was there, and you knew their identities even without seeing an ID too." She said, making me question if the Japanese woman truly realized what was she implying. I had definitely understimated her.

"I'm _not_ a complice." I firmly stated in another tensed whisper, looking directly at her eyes.

"If so, then I'm most curious to know what L thinks about all of this." She said, standing up. I hurriedly followed.

"Don't!" I raised my voice, extending my arm as if that would magically put a barrier in her body, keeping her from walking away. She froze, glaring at me. In response I meekly lowered my arm, defeated. I swallowed again. "...I just want to help... Please! Trust me."

"If you aren't Kira," I frowned upon that. She seriously had thought _I_ was Kira? "Or a complice, then tell me the truth and stop taunting me. What are you hiding from L?" She icely demanded, not moving from her standing position.

I couldn't help but snort. "You wouldn't believe it." I murmured to myself.

Nevermind, it seemed like Naomi had heard me nonetheless. "Murders performed by heart attacks? Try me." She said, sitting down again, her glare never leaving me.

Hesitantly, I took my seat too. Some customers had turned to gaze at us, and we had already caught too much attention for my liking. I opened my mouth, only to close it again. After a last deep breath, I found enough courage to speak. "Fine... But I need you to keep an open mind in this, please. The truth, is..." I briefly closed my eyes. Months of work to end up confessing like _this._ Hell, this was it... I opened them. "I'm not from this time... I travelled back in time to stop Kira."

* * *

It was like watching a row of dominoes in the Japanese woman's face; first was the confusion followed by disbelief, then the _'you're-nuts'_ look and, finally, anger upon thinking I kept mocking her. And, that just proved my point about human skepticism.

"I'm done..." She murmured.

But, before she could stand, yell, do anything, I had already set the true catalyst that either would be my success or my failure. "Joey is just a pseudonym in honor to my paternal grandfather. I can't tell you my real name, though, for Kira." I moistened my lips before continuing. Naomi was rooted to the chair. "That's why I knew about the LABB case's truth and details. Beyond Birthday was the culprit and he tried to kill himself by setting his body on fire. You discovered him, though, before it was too late." Thank goodness for Near's reports, even if the document on this case wasn't written by him. "That's why I also knew all along who Kira is and where would he be the day of the busjacking. That's why I contacted you, I couldn't let you..." I stopped right there, realizing I got carried away.

Naomi's eyes, intently fixed on my own, betrayed nothing. She was very confused, and it was no wonder. "You couldn't let me what?" I opened my mouth before closing it.

"I don't know if-"

"Just tell me!" She snapped, her face both anxious and scared. I got the feeling she already had a suspicion of what I was about to say.

With a sigh, I gave in. "You were supposed to die on the 1st of January, 2007." It was as if Misora had been drained with cold water. I pressed my lips together before continuing my monologue. "I guess I should start from the beginning.

"Currently I'm 23, soon to turn 24 this month of January. I was born in 1995 in the United States and I was, or rather am if you prefer, 11 years old when Kira was born. For the sake of keeping myself sane, I will refer to all the present and future events in the past tense." I took a deep breath, then continued. "With that age, at first I never thought much about it; I wasn't in favor, nor was I completely against it, since I was a child only. I mean, how strong and complex can a child's beliefs be concerning criminal justice? Years passed, and as I grew up, so did Kira's influence on the world population and my family's downfall. My mother," I gulped, closing my eyes for a moment before continuing. "She was a caseworker. She loved helping others... She also believed in God." I smiled bitterly, rambling on my memories without caring whether Misora minded it or not. Besides, I wanted to tell her my story so she could see where I was coming from. "That faith wasn't necessarily bad. My father was an atheist though, so it was fun to watch their friendly quarrels on the topic." I told her softly with the ghost of a smile plastered on my mouth. Then, my facial expression became somber once more, as if I'd sucked a lemon. "Then, her support to Kira became dangerous, obsessive... and the quarrels developed into fights. My father was an FBI agent who worked against him, so, at first, she never voiced out loud her approval of the murders. But... One day she began to do so aside from... strange things. Firstly it was staying out during late hour nights, then it was an odd robe in the closet, similar to a bishop's tunic. She ended up disregarding her work, her family... Everything. Just to serve her new 'god'." I took another deep breath, proud to say my restrained tears hadn't fallen. "Have you ever experienced the feeling of helplessness? The _true_ feeling of wanting to help a person you love, only to be casted aside?" I exhaled all the air that filled my lungs. Naomi was watching me dead silent with an inscrutable gaze; at least she didn't appear hostile anymore. "Only people who really seek help can be helped... I realized that much at quite an early age." Another deep breath, then I was speaking again. "When I turned 12 to 13 I began to side with my father. I knew murdering was wrong, so why accept Kira could do it? What made him different? My father's influence was strong in me, I must admit. I had always toyed with the idea of following his steps and becoming a detective or a policewoman. I started to pay close attention to the Kira case, and to gather all of the information I could concerning L. I wanted to be the best too, or the closest to it. Hell, I still want to."

Another deep breath. "Kira was finally killed in 2013, seven years after his birth. However, that was not the end of it. Kira's influence slowly died, and with that came chaos. Crime boosted greatly after realizing that there wasn't a punishing deity watching over anybody anymore. The governments didn't manage to gain back full control of society and internal security; it wasn't weird to hear about riots, in the cities especially, and the sentences hardened, trying uselessly to keep crime at bait. Some countries even declared the state of siege. In most cases it failed. Politics fell, and governments began to spy -more- onto their citizens and each other country in a paranoid race to achieve control once again. The sequels on society were huge. Then, in 2018, a possible solution was presented."

I looked directly into her eyes. "My mother commited suicide in 2013 after hearing about Kira's death, along with the rest of members of the sect." I blinked, quickly brushing off the first tear that had slipped from my right eyelid. "I had just turned 18. It took me a whole month and a lot of my father's determination and support, but I eventually admitted that I had fallen into a depression, and that I had to end it, before it consumed me. I went to a psychiatrich and a psychologist for a whole year, focusing solely on my recovering. After the treatment I was able to take up my studies and attend university, so I began to study what would allow me to become a detective. Criminology, or rather, criminal psychology if you may. In all of my time in university, my father began to travel worldwide due to the new FBI policy, which almost became a military, universal agency.

"Then, the 29th of May, 2018, I was summouned by L himself for this mission." I smirked wryly. "Did you know _L _is more of a... title of sorts? The reason as to why Kira's reign lasted so many years is because," I hesitated, surprised to find an uncomfortable knot in my throat upon saying this out loud, the image of the dark-haired detective coming to my mind. "Light killed the first L, posing as him afterwards." I told her in an even lower voice than the one I had been using. "I was told by said L's successor that my father was the first subject sent back in time to stop Kira and avoid L's death, or at least avoid the power Kira achieved. He never made it back." I bit my bottom lip, then resumed the finale explanation. "After this, I was called to take his place. I'm _sorry_ I didn't stop Raye's death," Misora cringed, her own eyes watering. "But his death was necessary."

"You let him die... Just because it was necessary." She repeated in a resented whisper. One of her fists was tensed on the table.

"Yes, and I blame myself for it every night. You should see my damn nightmares... But I _had_ to allow it." My voice sounded so desperate for her to understand, to forgive me, that I mentally cringed. "Raye's death led to the creation of a new Kira Task Force with just five agents, absolutely trustworthy, who have come face to face with L to hunt down Kira. From then on, the investigation will truly advance too. And L will be closer to Kira than ever. We just need the appropiate moment and the precise evidence to change the turn of events in our favor." I told her determinedly. "Please, _trust me_." Not helping myself and my geek nature, I half-smiled wryly as I said. "Help me Naomi Misora, you are my only hope."

* * *

I watched as Misora drank down her second shot, still a little shocked at all of the information I had told her. On my part, I felt quite relieved, as if the burden on my shoulders had been slightly lifted. There was no question, she had ended up believing me... I think. Hope. I mean, what other choices did she have? Why would anyone come up with such a tale for what? I had told her exactly this much, and she hadn't been able to deny my logic. Then, she had asked for the strongest shot on the stocks.

When she was done with the second, Misora pushed aside both, the bottle and the glass, and leaned against her chair. "This is crazy..."

"Tell me about it."

Her eyes sharply turned in my direction from the table's corner. She opened her mouth before closing it again. I didn't rush her, I knew time was needed... Ironically. "How did you manage to find L?" She asked me, beyond curious, so I decided to indulge her. Misora surely deserved it. Her lips were faintly parted after I finished my story. I did not describe L nor Mr. Wammy, though, and I also omitted to mention specific locations. Their secrecy was safe with me. "What about today? How did you manage to gain permission from L? And the text you sent me, how...?"

I smiled without showing my teeth. "The text was codified, as you already noticed after deciphering it. Plus, the cellphone model was old enough to not incorporate GPS things and that stuff that would've made it easier to hack it. Of course, as a double-edged sword, I had a harder time codifying the text." I shrugged, a lazy smirk on my lips. "Difficult but not impossible." A flashback of the message briefly crossed my mind.

* * *

_28th Dec._

_I know who killed your fianceé._

_4th Jan, cafe "Natsuki" 19:00 if you want answers. Don't tell anyone about this, including Him and the NPA, or the deal is over._

_PS. Call me Joey_

* * *

"And, about getting permission today... Well," I chuckled. "You gotta blame my bakering-skills and potential addiction to gambling..."

* * *

_2nd January. The Task Force had gone home after another long day of work mostly spent analyzing the victims tested by Light to see which ones had been the ones utilized for ulterior purposes. From then, L would try to link the jailbirds' murders with the ones of the FBI agents._

_Finding myself in a break, I was ready to take a nap of twenty minutes or so when a shadow over my head made me open my eyes. Unsurprisingly, L was looking at me with his index on his lips. "Hi." I said, feeling tired to come up with a smart line._

_"Are you feeling unwell, Ms. Milles?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously._

_"No..." _

_"Then, how about you make yourself productive?" I raised an eyebrow._

_"You saying you're gonna let me help with the convicts' matter?" Asked I, moving my body into a sitting position._

_"Better yet." Said L, making me stretch my back even more in anticipation. "You'll bake me that lemon cake you owe me." My face fell._

_"Are you serious?" I asked, deadpan._

_"Extremely so." Said he, his right hand inside his jeans' pocket, the other still on his mouth._

_"Why not ask Watari while I rest a little? I'm tired."_

_"We agreed you would be the one to make it, don't you remember?"_

_"I was joking and PMSing!"_

_"Besides," He continued as if I hadn't spoken in the first place. "Watari informed me that you lost a certain bet." Groaning, I finally stood up. _

_"Damn chess master..." I muttered while making my way over to the kitchen, before an argument arosed between us, an idea already popping into my head as I placed bowls, kitchenware and freshly bought ingredients all over the countertop. We had gone grocery shopping this morning. Plus, I wanted to show Mr. Wammy I kept my promises... And failed bets. I was smirking as I cracked the eggs' shells when L's voice startled me. _

_"Whatever it is you've come up with, Ms. Milles, _don't_."_

_I threw the shells into the bin while looking sideways at the young sleuth. "What are you doing here?"_

_L separated one of the chairs from the table, then sat on it in his brand way as he left the paperwork on the table. "I'll supervise you follow the recipe correctly." I snorted._

_"Meaning, you wanna make sure I don't put poison on it." Translated I, turning my back to him again._

_"Nor salt, or any other ingredient that may ruin the taste."_

_I smirked to myself. "I would be more creative than that."_

_"You didn't bother much with the coffee. Not to mention, switching it for black pepper is the same technique. I had hoped you would've tried harder." ... _"Damn telepath." _I thought._

_"It was cayanne pepper actually," I said to myself as I beat the eggs. "Are you aware it's gonna take me about an hour, more or less, to get the cake done? Do you intend to watch the whole process?"_

_"Certainly, I'm more than capable of carrying on with the investigation's work along with making sure you fail in your attempt to ruin my dish."_

_I looked over my shoulder. "Hey! I'm a good cook, mind you. I didn't hear you complaining about the Strawberry Martini."_

_I continued to follow the recipe through my phone, following each step while allowing myself to experiment a little as well, adding some more amounts of extra sugar here and there. I was sure L would appreciate it; the jerk doesn't deserve me. __The mix of butter, caster sugar, grated lemon zest and eggs was ready when, suddenly, I placed the bowl down. Slowly, I turned my head to the right, almost jumping out of my skin at finding that the world's greatest detective's head was only a couple of inches away from my own. I took a deep breath as he kept looking at the sugar pack and the mix over my shoulder, like an overgrown mesmerized child. Moreover, how the heck had he come here without a sound! "L?" His right index finger, previously set on his bottom lip, began to advance towards the bowl when I literally slapped his hand away. He retreated it a little. "No! Bad detective, bad!" He looked at me with those big, dark eyes._

_"I want to try it." He said flatly. I rolled my eyes, stepping towards my left and dragging the bowl and the sugar pack with me so there was some distance between us._

_"Not until it's finished. And not to mention you haven't washed your hands." I declared, staring at him through the corner of my eye as I stirred the mix a while more with the spoon. When he extended his arm again, I continued moving to the left, the bowl and pack making funny noisies as they were dragged along the countertop. We kept like this, playing cat and mouse until my left side finally found the rest of the furniture where, ironically enough, the oven was still getting warm. Facing him, I pressed half of my back against the wood, my hip against the countertop's edge and my right palm on his chest, trying to push him away. "L! Don't be a baby and wait!" He didn't listen, extending his hand again and resulting in me slapping it, again. Finally, he looked at me._

_"If you keep doing that I'll be forced to take drastic measures." Stated he, his tone ever impassive._

_I raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to ask if he would bind me or something. Instead, I asked. __"Shouldn't you be working? Thought you were capable of multi-task." Then, I took the bowl and, using my selective ninja movements, stepped out of his way and back to the centre of the countertop, my hand holding once more the stirring spoon._

_"I am, right now as I eat sugar to mantain a higher concentration on the files I am also putting up with your infantile games." My lower eyelid twitched._

_"_I _am the child out of-" I began to say while turning around, faintly annoyed by both, how difficult he is and that he had taken a fist of sugar from the pack. But as I spun around, my brain forgot to let go of the spoon, so I couldn't help but snort in a very unladylike way when, from the force of my twist, some of the mix flew into L's shirt and right side of the face. "-us?" I finished my sentence, pressing my lips together while supressing a chuckle._

_He stared at me flatly, only letting out his tongue to lick the corner of his mouth. I left the spoon inside the bowl I still was holding like a baby, putting my fist against my mouth in a poor attempt to hide my grin. "Not enough sugar..." He declared in an after thought._

_"There you go, now," I placed the bowl back on the countertop, reaching for a rag and offering it to him. "Let me finish the cake. Please." I said, ending up laughing a little. Karma is fair..._

_"Of course." He finished wiping off the mix from his face and shirt, surprising me by using his whole palm hand. I was already giving him my shoulder when he called me. "Ms. Milles, have you ever heard of the Hammurabi code?" I frowned, already moving my face to look at him._

_"Yeah, why-" The rag slapped me on the centre of my face. Literally. Slowly, it moved all the way down my nose until finally L left it on the sink._

_The jerk was giving me that little half-smile. "An eye for an eye." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Using my own hand, I took off the mix, afterwards washing my hand and face._

_"_If that's so,_" I thought, grabbing a fist of flour from the edge of the sink, where the opened pack was awaiting me. I turned around and, without a warning, opened my palm and firmly placed it on his cheek, not with enough force to slap him though. I blew, sending more flour powder in his deadpan face while taking my hand off him. I grinned. "Now I see how it works."_

_"And you fail miserably." Said he, not moving an inch while intensely gazing at me. "The purpose of the code was to repay an affront with another of equal gravity." My grin only widened, smugly._

_"Then, what I just did?" I questioned him._

_"Earn yourself a bath." What? He raised his arm and, before I could process it, something wet had fallen onto my head, dampening my recently washed dark locks. I paled. "You didn't..." L half-smiled again as the white and yolk slowly descended the left side of my head, letting the shell follow and, consequently, making me jump a little as it hit me. My lower eyelid twitched again. "What's your problem?!" I asked, angrily taking the shell off my head and throwing it back at him._

_"You attacked me first." Said he after the shell hit him square in the forehead, then plunged to the floor. He remained impassive again._

_"It was an accident!" I snapped, faintly annoyed that my hair had been ruined. "Even if it wasn't, weren't you supposed to be the genius?" I asked._

_He placed his thumb on his lips as his eyes travelled to the ceiling for a moment, as if contemplating something, before they landed again on my face. "Well, I'm childish and I hate to lose." It was my turn to be deadpan for a minute before I chuckled, not helping myself._

_I shook my head in disbelief, still laughing. "You overgrown baby."_

_A throat clearing itself cut the banter as both, L and I, looked towards the entrance of the kitchen. Mr. Wammy was there, heaving a sigh. "So this is what happens when I leave the two of you alone." The detective and I exchanged a brief glance, my cheeky grin contrasting with his serious visage before both of us turned back to Mr. Wammy. The only response the old gentleman got was a shrug of my shoulders and my grin._

* * *

_Once my hair was shining again and L didn't resemple a poor cosplay of Casper, both of us went to the kitchen so I could finish the cake. I had forbidden Mr. Wammy to help me; now it was also a matter of pride. I had incorporated twice more sugar to everything and was currently pouring the final mix into the mold when I finally said. "Hey L, I have a bet for you."_

_"Shouldn't have you learnt by now, Ms. Milles, gambling is diagnosed as an addiction?" I smirked a little._

_"C'mon, humor me!"_

_"What is it?" He drawled the words._

_"I bet you will eat the lemon cake, whole, in a timing under 4 minutes. No matter if you've already eaten something else." I declared, watching as the final drops went into the mold._

_"My appetite is strong, Ms. Milles, but even my physiology has limits." I chuckled._

_"Aren't you interested in what's in for me if I win?"_

_"Not particularly." Jerk._

_"What about what's in for you?" I placed the bowl inside the sink, turning around as I dried my hands. He was looking at me with his eyes imperceptibly narrowed. I took it as an invitation to continue. "If I win, I want a last day off, with no kind of vigilance, and I assure you it will be the last I'll ask for." I left the rag on the countertop before leaning against it, my hands easily resting on my thighs clad in skinny jeans. "Things are about to get truly serious, even more, so I'd like a last day of freedom. But!" Said I, holding out my index finger as if I was telling a child his favorite bedtime story. "If you win and my predictions concerning your appetite were wrong or my cooking aptitudes resulted overestimated, I'll tell you my real name." His face betrayed nothing, but L's dark piercing eyes adcquired a predator gleam. "How does that sound?"_

_Calmly, he got off the chair and walked towards me, stopping some inches away, his eyes scrutinizing my entire face. I coolly stared back. "How do I know you haven't already manipulated the bet in your favor?" I raised an eyebrow in my brand sassy way._

_"You were with me the entire time I was baking." I pointed out. _

_"And how do I know this time you will tell me your real name?" I placed my head a little to the right._

_"L, why would I risk the little trust we seem to have gained just for a day off? If I'd lie to you in that, I would gamble something else entirely in the first place." I told him truthfully. I was willing to take the risk; besides, if I ended up telling him my real name and he got my real data, maybe I'd be able to tell him I am from the near future with solid proof. Problem is, I was afraid he would use that circumstance. Not long ago I realized that was the reason why I hadn't told him the truth from the beginning; I was afraid of becoming a pawn only good for sacrifice, another disposable piece of the game like Raye and the FBI agents had been... I wanted to get out of this alive. So yeah, nevermind, it was a win-win situation for me. At least potentially. And, my bet wasn't done out of just feminine intuition..._

_"We have a deal." L said, our eyes colliding as I smiled._

_"Conditions first, my friend." I mockingly cleared my throat, stretching my back and positioning my head back to normal. "You can't _not _eat the cake to win the bet, nor give it to someone else or simply throw it away; I refuse to waste food. Watari cannot do it for you either. And I must be with you when you are about to take the first slice, to check you don't cheat. Watari can play referee too if you don't trust my impartiality. No doping to close the stomach. And, just in case, throwing up is out of question too. I can choose the day off and the timing. Your conditions?"_

_L stared flatly at me for a moment before speaking. "You have improved." I chuckled._

_"Learnt from the best." I conceded before adding. "Don't get used to compliments though. You're still a jerk... Most of the time."_

_L ignored my childish insult, then carried on with his conditions. "You cannot hide other food from me to get me hungry, nor ask Watari to do it for you. You can't make me sick to empty my stomach before eating the cake, and do not try to medicate me to increase my appetite. I won't be forced to make excercise prior to eat the cake and Watari _must_ be the referee of the bet. You can choose the day and timing, but from the hour you choose you will have three hours maximum before you're back here, inside the suite. As per usual, any unforseen circumstance will be notified to either myself or Watari with solid proof."_

_"Done."_

* * *

_"4th January, 19:00." I said with a smug grin a moment later after Watari left with the empty mold, L and I sitting in front of the other._

_"22:00 back here then." L conceded reluctantly, looking sulky as ever._

_"C'mon L, it's been one of the seldom times you've lost against me, face it like a man!"_

_"Shut up, Milles." OH, it's _burnt _him! Was I a sadist for enjoying it? ...Meh, who cares?_

_After a moment, I unfolded my legs and leaned back. "I'm not surprised, of you knowing _Hail Milles _is an alias. Guess you deducted it quite some time ago."_

_"Yes. Having a false name's quite the sensible thing, especially with Kira's growing presence. You'd be surprised at the amount of people that happily give away the identities they should treasure." He told me, his arms crossed as his bony elbows rested on his knees, making me nod in agreement._

_I brought up my right leg as I rested my chin on the knee. "It was relatively easy to deduct I suppose." I averted my eyes from his piercing gaze. "I would've told you my real name though, had I lost." My brown eyes stared back again to his own black. "To prove once for all in which side I'm on. So you'd see that I trust you with something of such importance as to put my life in your hands." Was that true, though? I can guarantee I'd have told him my real name had I lost, but did I really trust that he wouldn't use it as another tool in this war of minds? ...No. Deep down, I didn't. I sighed. "Nevermind, this way I'm also protected. I hope you can understand me."_

_L gazed at me intensely, as if analyzing me; he tends to do that. We both were riddles for the other. Maybe that's what gave us enough curiosity to try to figure each other out. Well, not that he had much of a choice in the matter, having in mind the predicament my knowledge put him into. Still..._

_"It's a logical decision, I understand. Just as I assume you understand the threat it presents that my name is not a secret anymore." Once more, I nodded, agreeing._

_"I do. That's why I won't be able to ever demand your trust." Said I, my voice completely composed._

_Another gaze contest began between us, until his softened almost impercetibly and the tension seemed to slowly vanish from the atmosphere, achieving the common ground we unspokenly learnt to have with the other._

_And, as the proper fool I am, I began to feel slightly guilty for having put stimulating medication for the appetite into the cake. Not directly into it, but very subtly with a syringe into the pack of sugar, the butter, the flour and the lemons, while all of them were still unopened and fresh in the supermarket's shelves, right before tossing them into my trolley. But I had to do it, and I had made sure the dosis were not big enough as to cause L any health issue... Well, the little extra amount he had taken from the sugar pack, right before our small food fight, had been collateral damage. Moreover, the most surprising thing was that Mr. Wammy had kept his word and _trusted _me, seeing that he had been the one to get the medicines for me. "Watari, I need you to do me a big favor. I need you to tell L you'll be busy on the 4th January. And I need you to get me this," Then, I had passed him a note with the name and dosis of the medicine. When he had asked why, I had answered. "That day I will meet with someone who will be a crucial help for the investigation, someone whose assistance may save our lives, please_. _L can't know, please. I need to do this alone, please.__" I begged him, I even offered him to use a polygraph on me, and in the end he agreed. I had been afraid he would've fingered me to L, but he hadn't. And I surely wouldn't question why._

* * *

Misora stared at me for some minutes in silence, mulling over everything. I patiently waited.

"Unbelieveable..." She whispered, making me half-smile.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains," Said I.

"However improbable, must be the truth." Naomi finished for me, her eyes with an odd gleam on them. I blinked a couple of times before returning her gaze.

"For my family, for Raye... Can I count with your help?" Our eyes clinged to the other's, as if the gravitational atraction of a planet suddenly surrounded us, and I had the feeling their intensity became stronger than even L's in this instant.

Not breaking such an eye contact, she simply nodded determinedly.

_"New year, new challenges... New beginnings, and new allies."_

* * *

**A.N/: There you go! My, quite the chapter is this, we discover a hell lot of stuff! Hope it serves as a good enough apology for my disappearance. Forgive me, but college life is quite demanding. Also, in my rush to update I'll surely have overlooked various grammar and spelling mistakes, so I apologize for that too. I'll fix them in some days. For now, HAPPY NEW YEAR! ^^ Well, in some hours time.**

**Thank you everyone who has read, followed, faved and reviewed! You made my day, as always.**

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**Hope you have a wonderful day and holidays! And, even though it's a bit late for it, merry Christmas too if you celebrate it! ^^**

**Until next time!**

**~Se acerca el invierno**


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